Even after
by Ria Sakazaki
Summary: mwah! hehehehehehe! chapter 11 is up! the battle commenced between the Konoha Shinobis and the Uruha Oto (Neon and her sisters) um...guys...the rating might go up in this chapter...ok? thanks! please review! NaruHina
1. Prologue

A/N: Hi!!! This is my first ever Naruto fic!!! Please be kind to me, please!!!!! Ok back to the story. This might come out as a cross-over but the story does not revolve around it. I may have some characters from HXH but their just supporting characters. Pairings? Hmmm... Let's see who would be with whom in the future!!! Mwah!!!!! Please review!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't know Naruto and HXH. I only own the plot and some other extras here!!!!

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Hyuuga Hinata shook her head to wake herself up. It's been 4 years since she had seen that person whom she knew from childhood. Four years had passed after he went to his mission as a newly assigned Chuunin.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
[ "Naruto..." Hinata murmured. She ran away from the hospital to see Naruto before he went to his assignment. When she arrived at the battle place, she saw four familiar faces standing in front of four powerful-looking people.  
  
"They got in." Somebody spoke behind her. She turned around and saw Haruno Sakura. "I see..." Hinata murmured. "Three Genins from Konoha and one from Suna." Inou said.  
  
Those four familiar faces belonged to the stoic Uchiha Sasuke, her relative from the branch family Hyuuga Neji, the cruel boy from Suna named Gaara and last but especially not the least, the person who made her heart sing, the ever jolly Uzumaki Naruto. Although his face looked battered, she could still see the childish aura that he reflects.  
  
"They are going to take their new missions now." Kurenai-sensei suddenly said. "It was very nice of the council to decide that we, the losers, can still apply for the next Chuunin exam to be held in four years." Kiba told her. Hinata remained silent while watching Naruto's movements.  
  
"I choose the boy named Uzumaki Naruto." The bearded old man with pony- tailed hair announced first.  
  
Everybody was shocked especially Hokage-sama. "Matte Chairman Hetero. Are you quite sure?" Anko-san asked, looking dumbfounded. A vein appeared on Naruto's forehead. "why lady? Any objections?" Naruto challenged her. " Shut up dope!" Sasuke hissed at him. Naruto stuck out his tongue to him.  
  
"Yes, I'm very sure. If you'd excuse us, we're in a hurry,: the man they called Chairman Hetero said with a smile. "Please wait for a while, Hetero. We'll be finished here in no time." Hokage-sama said. After a few minutes, the assigning was finished. Uchiha Sasuke was employed by a fat man named Kaze while her cousin, Hyuuga Neji was chosen by a masked man named Washi. Gaara on the other hand went to the sexy lady-in-red named Yanagi. Hokage-sama then gave them the pointers for their mission and their contracts.  
  
"They said that the contract terminates itself after four years on the same date it was signed. "Rock Lee told them. They all watched with mixed emotions as the four new Chuunins signed their contract. There was jealousy, happiness and sadness, of course. Hinata felt a tear escaped her eyes when Naruto's contract was sealed. She will miss him. Only Kami-sama knows where the old man with take him.  
  
After the ceremonies, the four new Chuunins were given a day to prepare for their missions, to heal themselves, and of course, to say goodbye to their friends. But as for Naruto, he was only given two hours. Chairman Hetero was in a hurry.  
  
"why so early?" Hinata sobbed. She became attached to him ever since she fought with her Neji-nii-san. "I guess the old man wanted to get things done as early as possible." Naruto said with a sad smile. Iruka-sensei presented himself to get Naruto's belongings from his apartment while Kakashi-sensei went to get the "equipment" his soldier might in for the mission. They did this to give Naruto more time to be with his friends.  
  
After Naruto was hounded by Sasuke and the others, he went to Hinata and pulled her out of earshot.  
  
"I didn't even see you fight." Hinata complained. She can't take Naruto leaving, she never can.  
  
"Hinata-chan...don't cry. I will return." Naruto wiped a tear off her face. "take care of yourself." Hinata told him. She kept her eyes glued on the floor to keep him from noticing her blushes. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt Naruto's hand on her face.  
  
"promise me you'll try again after four years ok?" Naruto told her. " Ano..." Hinata murmured.  
  
"I believe that you can do it. Try again and promise me that you'll be a Chuunin when I come back." Naruto told her. She was speechless so all she could do is not. "Uzumaki!!! Chairman Hetero is waiting for you!!! Hurry up!!!!" Anko-san yelled. "You better go now, Naruto-kun." Hinata told him. She was trying her best not to cry again. "Ok, take care too. Don't forget your promise, ne?" Naruto said. "H-hai!" she nodded. "Uzumaki!!!!" Anko- san yelled again.  
  
"Take care Hime-chan." He said with a smile as he brushed the bangs off her forehead. "Hime-chan?" she stuttered. She barely heard him because her heart was beating so fast and so loud. "Hai. Take care, Hime-chan. Please wait for me." With that, Naruto planted a soft kiss on her forehead before running towards his farewell crowd. Hinata smiled as she watched her Naruto being hugged by everyone for the last time.  
  
"Sayonara, Naruto-kun!!!!" they yelled as he walked away with Chairman Hetero and his assistant, Ringo.  
  
"Ei, dope! Don't get yourself killed!" Sasuke yelled. "Urusai!" Naruto shot back but he gave his rival a thumbs-up sign. "Ch!" Gaara snorted. "Dope. Better be prepared when you return." Neji murmured while looking at his retreating back.  
  
With a final wave, the three of them vanished into think air.  
  
"Sayonara..." ]  
  
End of Flashback  
  
"Hime-chan." Someone spoke. Hinata turned around and saw the face of Hyuuga Neji. Changes are can be seen in his body. War is evident in his grim expression and his body seemed to gain a whole lot of muscles. "Neji- nii-chan, I'm glad you're back." Hinata said. She stood up and bowed to greet her cousin. "So you finally became a Chuunin, huh?" Neji asked while scanning the large room. It was noisy since Sakura and Inou were there, bickering because their beloved Sasuke came back. Some older Chuunins and Jounins are there too, especially their mentors during their Genin times. Only one person is missing and it made Neji curious.  
  
"so you noticed too. He's not here yet." Hinata murmured. Neji looked at his cousin with sympathy.

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A/N: so what do you think? Apparently it's a Hina/Naru fic but I don't know. Pairings are subject to changes. Please review!!!!!!! I'm just new in the Naruto world so please tell me if I sucked, ne? mwah!!! Love you all!!!!!! 


	2. Ties

A/N: Ei guys!!! Thanks to those who reviewed this fic!!!! I hope you liked it. I'm kinda hesitant to continue this because everything is so in chaos inside my head but I'm glad that I was able to make it through. Thanks to you!!!!! Please review!!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: the usual...

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Having all of them in one room was utter chaos. Four years had passed and they felt that so many things were left undone and it seems that they have a lot of catching up to do. Kiba and Shino were playing arm wrestling while Inou and Sakura kept on fussing over poor Sasuke, making the older Chuunins laugh along. All of them had matured a lot. Now at seventeen, the girl's womanly attributes became more "noticeable" while the guys showed up with robust bodies.  
  
The newly assigned Chuunins of that year were Hinata, Sakura, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Shikamaru, and Inou. The other one was Kankuro, Gaara's brother from Suna. They were gathered there with some old Chuunins for a new mission.  
  
"Hinata!!" Inou yelled to get her attention. When Hinata turned around, she caused a few men to blush and stare at her. The small, fragile Hinata was gone. What they are seeing right now is a very, "very" sexy girl with long, layered hair. She was wearing the same top she wears but gone was the jacket. She grew into a very beautiful kunoichi. If not for Neji's imposing figure beside her, a Chuunin would have approached her already.  
  
"You've grown." Sasuke said after taking a good look at her which made Hinata blush. "Watch your tongue, Uchiha. "Neji threatened him.  
  
"So what do you think our mission would be?" He asked them. They shrugged. Kiba scanned the crowd and gave them a questioning look. "Uzumaki is not here." He suddenly said which made Hinata's heart skip a beat. "Yeah. Neji and Sasuke are here but the dope's not." Shikamaru said. Hinata looked away to keep them from noticing her teary eyes. "Do you think he's..." Inou started but Sakura elbowed her, motioning her to stop while looking at Hinata with a sad smile.  
  
"You think he's dead?" Hinata choked out. Tears are welling up her yes. Lee gave her a gentle, assuring tap on the shoulders. "You know Naruto. I think he's just late. He's tough guy." Lee told her. This gave Hinata some hope.  
  
"You're still in love with him?" Shino asked.  
  
Hinata felt her face grew hot. Kami-sama, it's been four years! She should have out grown blushing by this time. This caused them to laugh.  
  
"What do you think Naruto would look like right now?" Shikamaru asked. " Same dope that he is." Sasuke answered. They dissolved into another feat of laughter. Hinata shook her head. Naruto is always the subject for fun.  
  
"Ne Sasuke, why not tell us what happened to your mission?" Kiba asked in between giggles. Sasuke stopped. "It's confidential." He told him. "Aw! Party pooper!!" Kiba complained. "But you did learn so many new things ne, Sasuke-kun?" Lee asked. "Big time." Sasuke answered.  
  
"I can't wait to know what the next mission is." Inou said. "It's not easy." Neji said. "Yeah. Deadly." Sasuke added. Hinata suddenly thought of Naruto. "Now I'm starting to worry.  
  
"The door opened and Iruka-sensei came in. "Iruka-sensei!!! Sakura called. "Hey!" Iruka-sensei's face lightened up. He went up to meet with them. "Congratulations guys and to the too of you too, Neji, Sasuke! I heard that your missions were successful." Iruka-sensei commended them.  
  
"Ne, Iruka-sensei." Hinata chocked out. "What is it, Hinata?" Iruka-sensei asked. "Ano... I want..." she started stuttering. "Hinata?" Iruka-sensei asked again.  
  
"Ano...IwanttoknowthestatusofUzumakiNaruto!!!" she blurted out so fast that she shocked everybody. Iruka-sensei's face broke into a smile. "I know that you miss him, Hinata." He told her. Hinata flushed. With that simple sentence, tears came down her face and it added up to the shock on her friends' faces.  
  
"He told me..." Hinata sobbed. "He told you what?" Iruka-sensei asked. "He told me to wait for him and I will always will." Hinata choked out. Sakura came towards her and gave her a hug. "It's ok, Hinata. He will show up soon." She comforted her. "That dope! He shouldn't have told you that. He knows that his mission is clouded by uncertainties." Sasuke said.  
  
"No. I believe in him. It's because of him that I made it through and passed the Chuunin exam." Hinata came to his defense. Iruka-sensei sighed.  
  
"It depends on the employer if a Chuunin is allowed to have contact with his country all throughout the mission. We haven't heard from him ever since he left Konoha. It he died during the mission, his contract would have exploded at the same time but I watched his contract terminated itself yesterday. It means that he's still alive this past four years, unless something happened to him today. From what I've gathered, this Chairman Hetero is not from any of the countries in this region. It means that Naruto could be half-way around the world. The old man was said to be an old friend of Hokage-sama but he lost contact of him too." Iruka-sensei explained. Hinata didn't find the explanation uplifting. In fact, it made her heart heavier.  
  
"So you mean..." Neji said but trailed off. "I'm not saying that he's dead but anything can happen within twenty-four hours. "Iruka-sensei told them.  
  
"I really hoe he's ok." Sakura said. Hinata wiped her tears.  
  
"He will return. Uzumaki Naruto never breaks his promises. I'm his Hime- chan. He will come back and protect me." Hinata told them firmly. Sasuke smiled at her. "He really changed you, huh?" he asked. Hinata gave him a small smile.  
  
"All that I am now, Sasuke-kun, I owe it to Naruto." Hinata told him.  
  
"You think he'd still be noisy when he comes back?" Kiba asked. " Probably. That's how he is. That's how he makes people notice and believe in him." Sakura said.  
  
"Well, he'd probably not. From what I have observed, kids like Naruto, once had gone though a hard time in his life would grow up likely to be quiet. Once that happens, great maturity has gotten over him." Iruka-sensei told them. That very moment, the door opened and the rest of the Jounins came inside. Kakashi-sensei motioned them to take their seats. Hinata sat down and noticed that he was approaching her. Hinata smiled at Naruto's sensei and gestured to the empty seat next to her. The masked sensei's eyes smiled at her and accepted her offer. Anko-san and the rest of the rest of the Anbu brigade stayed in front. There were equipments for lectures and Hinata guessed that they are in for a very complicated mission.  
  
"Ano, Kakashi-sensei..." Hinata started. "Umn." Kakashi-sensei responded. "Naruto-kun..." Hinata murmured but Kakashi-sensei cut her off. "sorry to be rude but we're about to start." Kakashi-sensei told her, motioning at Anko-san who was standing in front, clearing her throat.

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A/N: who was it? i hope you like it!!! mwah!!! Love you all!!!! Please review!!!!! I promise Naruto will be in the next chapter and something is CHANGED!!!!!! Please review!!!!!! 


	3. Changed

A/N: hey guys!!! I'm back!!!!!!!! Ok, in this chapter Naruto shows up...deliberately surprising everybody. Everything is new about him...but the real Naruto is just somewhere buried deep... and it's another crossover!!!!! After the little HXH, you'll get a whole lot of FOR. Please review!!!! Their mission is quite interesting...Please review!!!!!!  
  
Oh! "" are for dialogs and '' are for thoughts!!!!   
  
A/N: thanks to those who reviewed especially those who pointed out my mistakes. Thank you very much! It helped me a lot. And sorry, I'm not going to change to a Hina/Kiba. It's going to be Naru/Hina. Thanks!!!!!! Mwah!!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Flame of Recca...

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"Ohayou gozaimas!!!" Anko-san greeted them. The Chuunins stood up to greet back. "Ok, we are here today to discuss new mission." Anko-san said. Sakura's hand shot up.  
  
"Anko-sama!" Sakura called. "What is it, Haruno Sakura?" Anko-san asked. It was obvious that she was annoyed being interrupted. "We would like to know if you have an update about Uzumaki Naruto." Sakura asked her. The kunoichi sighed.  
  
"We still don't have any updates about the location or status of Uzumaki Naruto. There is little hope of him coming home today. If he hasn't shown up after tree days, he will be added to the list of Missing-Nins." Anko-san explained. A gasp was heard and the source was of course, Hyuuga Hinata. Everybody knows that once added to the Missing-Nin's list, the Hunter-Nins will surely hunt them down.  
  
The room was dead quiet. Anko-san sighed again.  
  
"So can we go back to our official business?" she asked. She has a stack of papers in her hands.  
  
"Ok, you are here—"Anko-sama started to speak but was again interrupted by loud voices coming from outside the room. "Kami-sama!!!! They are testing my patience!!!" Anko-san cursed. The door opened and Hokage-sama's voice was audible now.  
  
"You never changed, young man! You're late again! Is that what you've learned from your mission?" they heard Hokage-sama said. Hinata's heart skipped a beat when she heard a reply.  
  
"It's not my fault that I WAS delayed." The person Hokage-sama was talking to answered. The voice was distinctively familiar. After a few seconds, the 3rd Hokage-sama came in looking half annoyed, half relieved and a long- haired, blonde boy followed him in. despite the change in appearance, Hinata still recognized the newcomer.  
  
His clothes were the same with the other Chuunins but the orange jacket was tied to his waist while his once-spiky blonde hair was tied into a long pony tail. His forehead protector was on while his unkempt bangs covered the Konoha symbol. He was carrying a knapsack. The cat-like whiskers on his face are still there. He still has the same blue eyes that reflected the sky. He might look very different from the past but Hinata knows that this man is the love of her life.  
  
Standing before them now, he's an epitome of triumph despite an impossible mission. But something was missing...his childish glow was gone. It seems that he reflected the aura most ninjas usual have, seriousness and determination. It is evident in his face that the pain and the hardships he met impaled an eternal mark in his whole being. He is not the same Naruto that they knew four years ago.  
  
"Who's that?" Kiba, who was sitting beside Hinata, whispered. "Don't you remember?" Shino asked him. "The hell who he is." Kiba whispered in reply. "That's Uzumaki Naruto." Kakashi-sensei suddenly said. "WHAT?!?!?!?!?!" the rest of them gasped and gaped at the newcomer. Hinata was silently blushing on her seat while looking timidly at him.  
  
"Sign him in. he was delayed upon arriving at the boundary." Hokage-sama told Anko-san. "You're Uzumaki Naruto?" Anko-san asked in disbelief. "Hai." He answered. "No way." Shikamaru whispered in disbelief.  
  
"Now, you better get up there so you could take part of this discussion. We'll need every bit of information you have." Hokage-sama gave him an encouraging tap on the shoulders to urge him on. Usually Naruto would boast but he nodded and went to look for an empty seat. Every eye is on him, watching in every move he makes like he was a lab rat. Kakashi-sensei stood up and gestured Naruto to take his seat next to Hinata. He's blue eyes shone is delight at the sight of his sensei as he hurried to him.  
  
"You've grown, Uzumaki Naruto." Kakashi-sensei said with a smile. Naruto can't hold back anymore. He went to his sensei who accepted him with open- arms. At last, after a year here's another friendly face to greet him.  
  
"Arigatou, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said. The Jounin patted his head and told him to take his seat. Naruto nodded and turned to Hinata who was staring at him with flushed cheeks.  
  
"Naruto-kun..." Hinata murmured at tears welled up her eyes again. Four years had passed and now, the very man whom she drew out her strength is standing before her. "Naruto-kun!" Hinata finally cried and succumb into his arms. Naruto encircled his arms around her as she sobbed her heart out against him.  
  
"Daijoubu desu ka, Hime-chan?" his now low and smooth voice asked her. "O- Okaeri-nasai, Naruto-kun!!!!" Hinata choked out. For the first time since he arrived, Naruto smiled. He doesn't care if Hinata's tears are soaking his uniform as long as she's ok.  
  
"Aherm!" Neji cleared his throat. "Ano Naruto-kun, can you continue this little reunion special later? We need to start." Anko-san said with an impatient glance. Naruto and Hinata immediately separated. Sakura and Inou were teasing the blushing Hinata while Naruto just took his seat.  
  
"Ok, back to the mission." Anko-san said to get their attention. Hinata's mind is still lost into space. Here she is, sitting next to the boy she desired to be with for four years and nothing would seem better than this.  
  
"You are gathered here today because of a very important mission." Anko- san started.  
  
"Naruto looks very different." Sakura whispered to Inou. "Yeah. He somehow freaks the hell out of me." Inou replied. "He's changed, ne Neji- kun." Lee nudged his former teammate. "Shut up Lee. Listen to Anko-sama." Neji told him off. Though he must admit, the present Uzumaki Naruto intimidates him.  
  
"There is a myth about the early beginnings of the title Hokage. It was said that the title Hokage came from a tribe of specialized ninjas, four hundred years ago. The tribe was rumored to posses weapons that can control nature, thus they became superiors among the other ninja tribes of their time." Anko-san read from the papers she has. To their surprise, Naruto's hand shot up. Hokage-sama smiled. ' Now we'll know the truth.' He mused.  
  
Anko-sama is really pissed off. She was interrupted for the third time.  
  
"What is it, Uzumaki?" she asked.  
  
"It's not a myth." Naruto said. He was looking directly to Hokage-sama. "What? How can you say that?" Anko-san challenged him. She was over-the- edge now that this lowly Chuunin tried to question the data she, Anko-sama, gathered. ' Is he barking mad?' Sasuke mused while looking at Naruto. One thing didn't change about Naruto at all, he's still annoying. ' Smart aleck!' Neji said silently.  
  
"The history of modern ninjas in fact links to the Hokage tribe." Naruto said. Everybody was looking intensely at him.  
  
"And what are your evidences?" Anko-san asked. "I learned a lot when I was still in my mission." Naruto told her. "Oh yeah? Ok, why don't you come here in front and explain then, Uzumaki Naruto?" Anko-san snapped at him. Naruto sighed and placed his feet on the table. This gave everyone a bit of shock. "Don't do it, Naruto. You'll just embarrass yourself.." Sakura hissed to him. "Naruto..." Kakashi-sensei murmured as he watched him looked fiercely at Anko-san. "Naruto-kun..." Hinata murmured.  
  
"No, let him be. He knows more than we do. Believe me, I know." Hokage- sama told Anko-san.  
  
Naruto sighed. "The Hokage ninjas are just similar to the other ninjas when it comes to basic skill. Only Taijutsu is present those times. Genjustu and Ninjutsu are not developed yet. Historians say that they may be equal in brute strength but the Hokage ninjas are probably the most intelligent among their kind. They used their intelligence and knowledge about the power nature can posses into making elemental weapons that are beyond compare. These weapons are called Madougus. Soon, they became highly respected and feared by the other tribes." Naruto said. He paused for a wile to take a deep breath while the rest of his audience, even Kakashi- sensei and Sasuke stared at him in awe and disbelief.  
  
"There was one man who was ambitious enough to conquer all of Japan, it was Oda Nobugana. They said that he hated ninjas, that's why he tried to extinguish every tribe he could. But it's not the truth. The real score is, Nobugana does not hate ninjas, he fears them especially the Hokage tribe so he tried to extinguish every tribe he could come across with." Naruto explained.  
  
"Yeah, you're correct. It's in here." Anko-san told him.  
  
"Matte, I think I'm getting the idea what kind of mission is this..." Naruto murmured.  
  
"You're right, Uzumaki Naruto. That's why I told you earlier that I need to get every bit of information you have." Hokage-sama told him.  
  
They heard Naruto laughed. "Yeah you're right, Oyajii-sama. But I'm hungry. I want to eat ramen." Naruto said. The room erupted with laughter.  
  
"Yeah ok. I'll give you ten minutes. Come back here as soon as you can." Hokage-sama told him. With that, Naruto vanished into thin air.  
  
"Wow!!! Is that Ninjutsu?" Lee asked. "He's improved." Kakashi-sensei said. "Now what? How can we get more information without him?" Anko-san turned to Hokage-sama.  
  
"I will explain further so you listen." Hokage-sama stood up and said.  
  
"HAI!!!" everybody replied.

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A/N: hi!!!! I really hope you loved it!!! please review!!!!! Mwah!!!!!!!!! 


	4. The mission

A/N: Hi!!!! Yeah I know!!!!! Please be patient with me!!! Here is the real crossover. This is a Hina/Naru fic with FOR crossover!!!! Please review!!!! I'm kinda hopeless right now!!! Their mission is quite interesting...Please review!!!!!!  
  
Oh! "" are for dialogs and '' are for thoughts!!!!   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Flame of Recca...

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Hokage-sama lectured for ten minutes about how the Hokage tribe was nearly extinguish, how it survived, the details about how the Hokage title was formulated and a little about the Madougu. After he talked, his audience showed him mixed expressions. There was confusion, excitement, eagerness and anticipation. Right after he talked, Naruto appeared again on his chair.  
  
"How long have you been there?" Kakashi-sensei asked him with he finally noticed him back. "A couple of seconds ago." Naruto answered. "Wow, I've never been so confused on my life." They heard Kiba complained.  
  
"This is why we are going to explain every detail that is needed in this mission because these will be our weapons against the other villages. War is upon us. We are the rightful heirs to the Madougus and we need to take care of it. . By now, Suna and Oto would have taken their military forces into full training. If we don't act now, we will be over-run by the power their military forces have. We are a peaceful village. We did not know war was stirring in the east. We did not have the time to prepare. " Hokage- sama told them.  
  
"And where does Naruto fit in the picture, Hokage-sama?" Neji asked. Everyone gaped at him. "You said earlier that you need to extract every bit of information from him. What does he have to do with this?" Neji asked.  
  
Hokage-sama smiled. "You're a smart one, Hyuuga Neji." He said. The boy glanced at Naruto. The blonde boy has his eyes closed.  
  
"It's because Uzumaki Naruto had contact with one of the Elemental masters who is a part of the modern Hokage tribe during his mission, that's why he's late. He came directly to me because like you, he was confused about the origin of the title Hokage." The old man told them.  
  
"He did?" Lee asked in disbelief. Everybody stared at Naruto who seemed oblivious to his surroundings.  
  
"Ok, back to the mission." Hokage-sama said. With a snap of his fingers, a large chart appeared on the wall behind him containing pictures of different crystal ball with kanji characters on them. Some have weapons next to it. "These are the 56 known existing Madougus today. As you can see, every Madougu is made out of crystal. Some have specialized attachments to attain its 100% fighting ability. Study them and make sure you get every name." Hokage-sama said. The Chuunins and Jounins quickly took out their notebooks and started jutting down notes, all except for Uzumaki Naruto.  
  
"Ne, Naruto-kun. I know you're quite knowledgeable now but you need to take notes." Kakashi-sensei poked his arm. It seems that Naruto is asleep.  
  
"Don't worry Kakashi. That boy had already memorized every name in the chart and he's not rested for a month. Give with the time to internalize. I'm quite surprised that he hasn't died during his mission." Hokage-sama told them.  
  
Sasuke's hand shot up. "What is it, Sasuke?" Anko-san asked.  
  
"What did Chairman Hetero made him do?" he asked in between taking notes. Hokage-sama laughed. This made them stop.  
  
"You're really that interested, ne minna-san? You want to know what drastically changed this young man?" Hokage-sama asked him. They all nodded.  
  
"His loyalty is divided now." Hokage-sama suddenly said. Silence filled the room. "Not that he's a spy from any of the other countries here in this region but he has another responsibility to do other than being a warrior of this village." The old man told them.  
  
"Ano Hokage-sama, I don't understand..." Anko-san stared at him. Even the Anbu brigade stared at the old man.  
  
Hokage-sama just smiled. That very moment, Naruto opened his eyes. Everybody was too shocked to notice. Naruto yawned. "Ne Oyajii-sama, aren't we finished yet?" he asked as he stretched his arms.  
  
"You're part is about to start Uzumaki." Hokage-sama told him. Naruto's face broke into a smile. "Hai!!!!" he cried and took out seven kunais and tied colored cloth to each, three are bound by blue, another two are bound by white and the last one was red.  
  
"What are those for, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked him. Naruto just smiled and stared throwing the kunais towards the chart. The white bounded kunais hit the picture of the Madougus named Ensui, Kougan Anki and Fujin while the blue ones hit the Kotodama, Tendou Jigoku and Mugen while the red kunai hit the arm band named Tekkou.  
  
"What does that mean, Naruto-kun?" Anko-san asked him. Naruto sat up properly and cleared his throat.  
  
"The pictures of Madougus that are impaled by the blue bounded kunais are the Madougus that were destroyed completely. The Kotodama, once owned by Aki, was smashed into dust by Domon during the battle of the Hokage team against Uruha Oto in the Ura Butou Satsujin while the Mugen, once owned by Genjuro, was destroyed by Recca-sama during the fight between Hokage Team and Uruha Maboroshi." Naruto explained. This added to the confusion that already burdened his colleagues.  
  
"And what about the Tendou Jigoku?" Sasuke asked. "It's too powerful and dangerous that Recca-sama and Kurei-sama destroyed it. Its other name is the Heaven and Hell Madougu. It possesses the power of eternal life. It was smash completely that even its dust is barely recognizable." Naruto told him.  
  
"and the one hit by the red bounded kunai is useless." Naruto added.  
  
"uh, aside from the confusion that we had earlier, you're making our heads explode Naruto." Shikamaru told him.  
  
"Why is it useless, Naruto?" Hokage-sama asked. Naruto sighed.  
  
"It's because it's used to contain the fire of a flame master, just to keep it from shooting out of his hands occasionally. No one here is a flame master. It's an advanced bloodline, just like the Byakugan of the Hyuuga clan or the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. The name of the Hokage tribe came from it. Their leaders are all flame masters, all Hokages. The ability is passed down to the first child of the leader and the rest of the other children would grow up normal since bigamy is allowed in the tribe. But there are some instances that the ability is also passed on to the second child, indicating that the flame of the first son is the Cursed or Sacred flame, the Phoenix named Hoh oh and is incapable to lead the tribe. If Hoh oh, the cursed flame, is inherited by the first son, it means that the flame of the second son is in the form of Eight powerful flame dragons. We don't have that kind of bloodline since the Hokage tribe is nearly wiped out and Recca-sama and Kurei-sama has their heirs to their own." Naruto explained.  
  
"You mean, the Tekkou is used only by the flame master. What about the wind master or something?" Sasuke asked. "There are other specialized Madougus for them." Hokage-sama answered. "Ok, so let's leave it be because we don't have flame masters here. What are those with the red bounded kunais?" a Chuunin from the back finally said.  
  
"Those with the white bounded kunais are the Madougus that are impossible to get." Naruto told them. "NANI?!" they reacted.  
  
"Why? Are they buried in time or what?" Ibiki-sama asked him. "Yeah! Are they owned by gods?" Kiba added.  
  
"It's because these three Madougus belong to the modern Hokage tribe, making them two of the most powerful Madougus ever made by the Hokage ninjas. Ensui is a hilt-like object that could transfigure water into a blade. Its usual form is merely a handle, but when the user dips it into a water source, the water becomes the blade. When used with a large amount of charka or aura, it could even use blood as the liquid source and it proves to be even stronger. It can use both water and ice elements, especially when combined with the technique called Hyomon Ken. You cannot obtain this Madougu even if you sacrifice your life because I ensure you, Mikagami-sama will never give it up. It's their family heirloom and his sister died to protect it." Naruto told them.  
  
"Wow." Inou whispered in awe.  
  
"The Kougan Anki is owned by Kaoru-sama who is previously a member of the Uruha, and later became one of Team Hokage. It can change its form, like a puzzle piece. It was five known forms. Its first form is the shape of a large, curved sword with handgrips in its center. The second form is a hook on a chain while the third form is a big scissor. The forth form is a large boomerang while the fifth is a bow and arrow. It later goes on to possess a sixth form, after his battle with Joker. I'm telling you, those Madougus owned by the Modern Hokage tribe is too much for us. If we want to be annihilated, then we go get it." Naruto said. It seems that the more he speaks, the more the people around him get confused.  
  
"And what about the Fujin?" Gai-san asked him. Naruto gave them an evil smile.  
  
"The Fujin is an arm band which gives the user control over the wind. It has five crystals but is missing the central main orb until it was found two years after the tournament. The four small crystals are called Kaze no Kadama. They are like the eight flame dragons but they are in the form of four cute, fuzzy and white creatures. They are often referred to wind gods. The central orb is called Kaze no Toma. Once obtained and combined with the Fujin and the Kaze no Kadama, the user can obtain the ultimate control over the wind. There in also another ability the Fujin has that became the reason why it's one of the most powerful." Naruto paused to take a deep breath.  
  
"Well?" Kakashi-sensei asked.  
  
"It can manipulate the power of any Madougu crystal once it is placed in the central socket." Naruto told them.  
  
"Wow! You mean if we combine for example the Oni's Tsumi crystal and is placed in the central orb, the Fujin can use its ability as a Madougu?" Sakura said.  
  
"That combination was already used by Fuuko-sama. The technique she developed out of the combination is the Kazumi no Tsumi, three white claws extending from the Fujin. It can slice through anything plus the damage air pressure can do to the body." Naruto told them.  
  
"How did you know all of this?" Kiba asked him. "Are you the real Naruto?" Shikamaru demanded. This created utter chaos.  
  
"MATTE!!!!!" Anko-san yelled and they paused. "He is perfectly the real Uzumaki Naruto so get your asses back on your chairs!!" the Kunoichi roared, making them all sweat drop.  
  
"We can talk to this Fuuko-sama that you're talking about. Tell her to give us the Fujin." Ibiki-sama suggested. "It's not how things go with them. You must try and defeat the elemental masters to obtain their Madougus or even their abilities." Naruto told him.  
  
"And just how you got to have a contact with them? Have you met these persons personally?" Ibiki-sama challenged him. It was well-known all throughout the village that Ibiki-sama is the best interrogator of Konoha.  
  
"I ran across Fuuko-sama during my second to the last mission for Chairman Hetero. Most of the elemental masters became hermits after the tournament and the scramble for the "Heaven and Hell" Madougu. They are not very friendly especially towards strangers like me. I met her one day in the mountains of Shirakami. She quickly thought that I was one of those people who wanted to steal her Fujin. We fought and of course, I was pitied against her, I mean I don't want to boast but she IS a certified Kazekage. After patching me up, she told me the whole story of the Hokage since I told her I'm also a ninja." Naruto told them.  
  
"Wow! You must have a very nice mission Naruto!!!! You've met different kinds of people!" Lee told him with awe. Naruto remained silent.  
  
Silence filled the room.  
  
"Um, please continue copying." Hokage-sama told them.  
  
"Matte." Naruto suddenly spoke.  
  
"Yes, Naruto?" Anko-san asked him. With a snap of his hand, a small stack of paper appeared in her hands. "Whoa!" she gasped.  
  
"The information presented is lacking. There are good and evil Madougus. All the description, ability, side effects, counterparts, location and owners are in there. You better give them that before you finalize this mission. Today might give them a headache but once we set out for the mission, its life and death. All of us must be prepared to deal with the damage each Madougu can create. Some Madougus fight back when someone unworthy tried to contain them. And tell the rest that they should not be foolish enough to play with them. Some Madougu could erase something out of this world for good but there are prices to pay. Like the Koukai Gyoku. It can make something physical disappear forever, like a human but there's hell to pay. The rule of this Madougu is Eye for an Eye. What you take, you give. You everyone must be careful. Better make search teams to get it, so that we can obtain the power to oppose the Madougus and eventually, successfully contain them and make them ours." Naruto told them. Wit a sigh, he closed his eyes for a minute.  
  
"Wow Naruto-kun, you've changed." Anko-san stared at him. Naruto just closed his eyes for a moment.  
  
"You're so cool, Naruto-kun." Hinata told him. "I'm so tired." He told her. Hinata caressed his cheek and stared at him with a loving smile. "You'll have your rest soon, Naruto-kun. Don't worry." Hinata told him. Naruto closed his eyes to savor the smooth feel of her hand on his cheek. "Aw, so sweet." Sakura squealed. "Did you bring something for us from your mission?" Lee asked. "Later." Naruto told him. Lee turned into an extra-excited child.  
  
Anko-san started distributing the papers Naruto gave him.  
  
"Ok, for the three Chuunins who just came back from their mission, I want to know what you have experienced." Hokage-sama suddenly said. He looked at Sasuke first and nodded at him.  
  
The silent boy sighed and cleared his throat. "I've experience the harshness of the world." Sasuke said. The long silence indicated that he has nothing left to say. The old man turned to Neji next.  
  
"I've learned that mediocrity can kill you and you should not be fooled by what you just see." Neji answered. "Very good. Very nice experiences. And what about you, Naruto-kun?" Hokage-sama told them.  
  
Naruto's face broke into a frown, something that they did not expect from him.  
  
"Yes?" Anko-san prompted.  
  
"Death." Naruto told them. His aura suddenly changed. "You're impossible!" Inou scoffed. "Death?" Shikamaru asked. "Death of the heart." Hokage-sama told them. They stared at Naruto whose eyes were clouded by a dark shadow. Hinata wanted to ease away the pain in his eyes but she has no idea where to start.  
  
"Ok, let's resume this meeting after a week. By that time, you should have memorized each Madougu and all things about it and I hope that by that time, you have equipped some knowledge on how to stop them. You got me?" the old man told them.  
  
"HAI!!!!!" the Chuunins replied with enthusiasm. "Naruto-kun, please stay." The old man added. Hinata stared at Naruto for some clue but he's face was as placid as ever.  
  
"Ok Chuunins, you are dismissed. Ibiki-sama please stay." Anko-sama said. People started to fill out of the room while taking curious glances at Naruto who never moved from his seat.  
  
"I'll see you later Naruto-kun." Hinata said before standing up. "I'll be ok, Hime-chan. Just go home." Naruto told her with a sad smile. "Demo..." Hinata tried to complain but Kakashi-sensei stopped her. Hinata took one last worried look at Naruto before following Neji out of the room.  
  
"You think he's ok?" Sakura immediately asked as they stepped out of the room.  
  
"I don't know...I just don't know." Hinata murmured as she stared at the closed door.

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A/N: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!! Kinda long huh? And some stuffs are really confusing. Gomen nasai!!! And it's kinda OOC for Naruto here. It's just that he's been out in the wild too long...heheheheh!!!! Please review!!!!!! Mwah!!!!!!! 


	5. Sudden goodbyes, abrupt confessions

A/N: Ok!!!!!! Here's the next chapter!!!!!! Thanks to those who reviewed my fic!!!!! Luv yah all!!!!!! Mwah!!!!! Naruto is sooooo strange and CHANGED. He has a very different aura around him and he kept scaring his friends by just showing up without popping sounds...hmm...can anyone sense Zetsu? Please review!!!!!!!!  
  
And to those asking why the Hokage is not Tsunade, um just ride along with my story because I'm not really following the real story plot here ok? mwah!!!!!!  
  
"" for dialogs and '' for thoughts ok?  
  
Disclaimer: usual...

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As the footsteps fade away, Naruto faced the Jounins in front of him without a trace of emotion.  
  
"Is there something wrong, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked. He was one of the few Jounins who stayed inside the room with the Anbu brigade.  
  
"Naruto-kun, I know that you realized the degree of difficulty and danger of this mission so we would like to ask you to demonstrate how to get a Madougu to the Chuunins." Hokage-sama said. A shrill silence filled the room.  
  
"NANI?!" Gai-san reacted. "But you can't be serious, Hokage-sama. He's too..." Anko-san added but Hokage-sama cut her off.  
  
"He's too what, Anko-san? He may have a reputation as one of those who are behind everybody else but there's a great change and development that occurred in four years." Hokage-sama told them.  
  
"But it's too dangerous. Are you trying to tell us that he's going off alone, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi complained.  
  
"What is your say in this, Naruto-kun?" Hokage-sama asked the silent boy. He was just sitting there, listening to them talking. Naruto just gave him a shrug. "Anything you say, Hokage-sama." Naruto told him.  
  
"But this is too advance for him. This is supposed to be a Jounin's job." Ibiki-san complained. "I think Naruto is fit to do the job coz he knows what exactly he's facing. he has experience and knowledge to complete this mission." Hokage-sama told them.  
  
"Ok, let's say he's capable but Hokage-sama, he's just a boy. What could he possibly do? Kami-sama knows he's frail—"Anko-san said but she was cut off by a loud bang. They turned towards Naruto and were utterly surprised. The tables aligned to the right from Naruto were gone. They all flew towards the wall, crushed like crumpled origami. With his sleeves rolled up to his arms, a familiar arm band was visible in his right arm.  
  
"Kami-sama, that's—"Anko-sama started. "Fujin." Hokage-sama breathed. Naruto's face was emotionless and dark. "You know that I hate people looking down on my abilities." Naruto said, his eyes were piercing.  
  
An eerie wind of silence filled the room. Everyone was too shocked to react.  
  
"Naruto-kun! You're awesome!!!!" Jiraiya-sama suddenly appeared from nowhere. "Jiraiya-sama!!!!" Naruto's face finally lightened up when he saw the man. Even the 3rd Hokage was surprised that he appeared. It was four years since he disappeared again after teaching Naruto.  
  
"Wow, nice arm band." He told Naruto. The boy smiled and looked at Fujin. It was passed down to him by Fuuko-sama and Raiha-sama. "Oh this? I nearly died getting this, sensei." Naruto told him. "Ah...so you better treasure it." Jiraiya told him.  
  
"Hao!!!!!" Jiraiya turned to Hokage-sama. "Where did you came from, Jiraiya. I've been trying to locate you for the last four years." Hokage- sama told him. "Yeah yeah!!!!!!! I've been around." Jiraiya told him. " What's the commotion all about?" he asked while taking a good look at everyone. "We are talking about a top secret mission that Uzumaki Naruto must accomplish." Anko-sama bowed to him and said.  
  
"Ooh, top secret mission! Can I come?" Jiraiya asked. "No you can't." Both Naruto and Hokage-sama said at the same time. Everybody started at them. "Naze?!" Jiraiya complained. "It's too dangerous." Hokage-sama told him. "You're just going to fool around." Naruto told him. "Hey, weren't you the author of "Come Come Paradise" ?" Ibiki-san asked. Jiraiya-sama just gave them a hearty laugh.  
  
"Come on! I want some exercise! And I want to catch up with Naruto-kun here." Jiraiya told them. Hokage-sama sighed and turned to face Naruto. " Are you ok with this?" he asked the boy. Naruto looked uncertain. ' But this guy is a pervert!' Naruto's head protested. "Come on Naruto-kun!!! We need to have some time to recollect." Jiraiya said and winked at him. Naruto sighed in resignation.  
  
"Hai, hai!!!" Naruto said. "Yes!" Jiraiya cheered like a boy who got his very first head protector. "What Madougu will they recover?" Kakashi asked Anko-san. "I don't know..." the kunoichi replied and scanned her notes.  
  
"I say we get the Taishaku Kaiten." Naruto said. Anko-san's jaw dropped. " Are you serious?" she asked while scanning her notes about Taishaku Kaiten. "It's one of the most powerful Madougu there is and if you give this job to a newbie, he'll be dead in no time. Joker is a very strong fighter. He's a heartless killer." Naruto told them. "Are you sure you can do this? You only have one week." Hokage-sama asked the two of them. Jiraiya and Naruto nodded in confirmation.  
  
"Ei, I will sleep at your house tonight ok?" Jiraiya told him. "Is there something you can do about his Ecchi thoughts?" Naruto asked Hokage-sama. They all laughed at his question.  
  
"You think Naruto-kun is ok?" Inou asked them as they walked away from the Main command building of Konoha. "The Jounins are probably frying him alive." Kiba said. They heard a gasped from Hinata. "You should be careful with how you talk to Naruto-kun now, Kiba." Lee told him while looking at Hinata. "You became all sensitive since he arrived, Hime-chan. It's not who you are." Neji told him. "Ano..." Hinata murmured. They saw Iruka-sensei walking towards the opposite direction.  
  
"Iruka-sensei!!!!" Sakura yelled and waved towards Naruto's favorite teacher. Iruka-sensei turned to them and smiled.  
  
"Ohayou!" he greeted. "Is Naruto-kun ok?" Sakura asked. Iruka-sensei's face saddened and hurriedly went to them. "I don't think so." Iruka-sensei said when he came nearer. "Naze?" Hinata asked worriedly. Her heartbeat took up pace. "If you want to see Naruto before he leaves, you better come with me." Iruka-sensei told them before he continued to walk towards Naruto's apartment.  
  
"Nani?! He's leaving already?" Lee asked in surprise. "He and Jiraiya accepted a very important mission and are leaving Konoha as soon a possible." Iruka-sensei told them. Their walk turned into a brisk walk. " Why? Why is Naruto leaving so soon?" Hinata asked, trying her best not to cry.  
  
"I can't tell you. It's official business. If you want to catch him before he leaves, you better hurry up." Iruka-sensei told them. "Where are we going?" Neji asked. "Naruto's apartment." Sasuke told him. They arrived at his apartment but it seems that there's no one inside. Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san suddenly appeared. "Are you here to say goodbye too?" Inou asked. Gai-san just nodded. When Iruka-sensei was about to knock, the door creaked open and a very strong, strange feeling enveloped them that it made them dropped to their knees. ' What is this demonic aura?' she asked in panic. ' Naruto-kun...'  
  
"What's this?" Sasuke gasped while clutching his chest. A strange aura filled Naruto's apartment and it's scaring them. Sakura and Inou were already shaking in fear. Shikamaru and Kiba are sweating. "What evil is this?" Kakashi gasped.  
  
An entity was walking towards the open door, staring intently at the people outside the doorstep.  
  
"NARUTO-KUN?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" they cried when they saw Naruto standing by the door looking at them worriedly. They did not feel or hear or see him come closer which was obscene. With a sigh, the eerie feeling disappeared. All of his visitors were panting hard.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Sasuke gasped. "How did you end up there?" Sakura added. "We did not see you come." Shikamaru said in between pants. "You did not knock. I should've known that you were coming." Naruto told them. Jiraiya's head popped out from nowhere. "Hey! You're here!!" he cried with a smile on his face. The ambiance of the place changed so fast that they can't remember how it happened.  
  
"Come in." Naruto said. His visitors cautiously entered the place as if something evil will suddenly come out from nowhere. "Don't worry, it's over." Naruto told them. They went to the living room while Naruto went to kitchen to give them something to drink. Neji scanned the room with his Byakugan and saw that everything was normal, well except of two big mountain packs.  
  
"Where are you going?" Sakura asked when Naruto came back from the kitchen. "I know that you know." Naruto told them. "Where's Jiraiya?" Kakashi asked. The Sennin was nowhere to be found. "He's preparing for the journey." Naruto said. They took the sodas he offered and tried to calm themselves.  
  
"What was that, Naruto? That eerie feeling like something invisible held you by the neck?" Sasuke confronted him. They all stared at the two and it was not forgotten that they were rivals in everything. "I don't have to tell you what that is." Naruto told him. "Is it some kind of a new technique that you've learned while you're in mission?" Lee asked eagerly. Naruto stayed silent.  
  
"Why leaving to soon, Naruto-kun?" Hinata suddenly asked. Naruto's hard exterior melted down by just hearing her voice. "Hime-chan..." Naruto murmured. "We haven't talked yet. Why leave?" Hinata asked again. This time, she looked at him with teary eyes. "Gomen nasai, Hime-chan. I don't want to go but I have to." Naruto told her. His eyes were full of emotions right now. "But I don't want you to go." Hinata insisted. A loud ringing interrupted their discussion. "Sumimasen." Naruto said and went to attend to that matter. Jiraiya decided to show himself that very moment.  
  
"Ei Naruto. Got everything packed." Jiraiya called. Naruto appeared in the living room again, talking to some kind of an advanced communicator. It was beetle-shaped. They listened to the conversation.  
  
"You don't have to worry about me, Biscuit-chama." Naruto told the person on the other line. They can see that he's nervous. "Is he ok?" Shikamaru asked Kiba. Lee stared in awe at his gadget. They saw Naruto sweat-dropped as the speaker on the other line started shouting.  
  
"DON'T BE DUMB AND HAUL YOUR ASS BACK HERE, NARUTO-KUN!!!!!! I'M NOT FINISH POLISHING THE THREE OF YOU YET!!!!!!!!!" the speaker screamed through the phone and it was obvious that it was a girl. Hinata just stared at Naruto who held the phone a foot away from his ears.  
  
"But you said I can come home once I got out of the game!" Naruto yelled back. "YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR FOUR MONTHS AND THAT'S ENOUGH VACATION FOR YOU! IF YOU DON'T COME BACK, YOU'LL BE BEHIND!!!! "The speaker shot back. Now giggles can be heard inside Naruto's apartment. Sakura was chuckling hard while Inou was already crying. "Biscuit-chama, I'm done with the training. Didn't Hetero-jii-sama tell you that I've completed everything?" Naruto said. He sighed and took a deep breath. Their once noisy conversation became whispers.  
  
"Ok, I gotta go. I have another mission to complete." Naruto said. With that, he turned the gadget off and placed it inside his pocket. "Wow, what's that Naruto-kun?" Lee asked. "Who's the girl? Why did you call her Biscuit-chama?" Hinata asked. Naruto sighed and took a soda. Kakashi-sensei scanned the living room and saw a framed picture of Naruto with four other people that he doesn't know. He took it and stared at the faces of the shinobi's companion who were Gon Freecs, Killua Zoldick, Leorio and Kurapika.  
  
"Who are these people? New friends?" Kakashi-sensei asked Naruto while pointing at the picture. "They're my friends when I was in mission. We fought side by side." Naruto told him as he went to the kitchen. He was trying his best to ignore Hinata because if he didn't, he sure won't be able to go. Kakashi-sensei passed the picture to them to let them have a look. Jiraiya came into the living room with two mountain packs.  
  
"Are you sure these are enough? All we have here inside are basic equipments, scrolls, first aid kits and clothes. Aren't we going to bring food or sleeping bags or something?" Jiraiya asked as he placed the mountain packs down. "Yes, we have everything we need." Naruto told him. He held his right hand up and a big red cloth swished out of his palm, shocking everybody. "Wow!!!!! That's that technique, Naruto-kun?" Shikamaru asked. Naruto looked at Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei and found out that they have their Sharingan on. "Don't try copying it. It's not Ninjutsu." Naruto told them. They watched in amazement when he covered their bags with the red cloth and it shrunk into a very small package, like the size of a matchbox. "What the hell?!" Kiba gasped. "Sugoi!!!!!" they cheered. "And would you believe that I couldn't bring my "Come Come Paradise" collection?" Jiraiya turned to Kakashi-sensei. All of them blushed, knowing that the Sennin is talking about his popular Ecchi comics.  
  
"I agreed to let you come with me so now you keep your part of the bargain." Naruto-kun told him. "Ok all set." Jiraiya said. Hinata can't stop herself anymore. Tears came rolling down her cheeks. "Please. Don't go." Hinata sobbed. Naruto went to her and took her in his arms. "I wish I could stay but I can't. Don't worry, I'll be back. It'll only take a week. Promise." Naruto told her as he wiped her tears away. He held her face in his palms and kissed her on the forehead. Hinata still couldn't stop crying. Sakura and the others smiled at the affection being shown by the blonde shinobi towards the heir of the Hyuuga clan. With a snap of his fingers, a box appeared with the picture like that of the beetle shaped gadget he was holding earlier. He gave it to Hinata.  
  
"Here, take this. It's a cellular phone, I'm giving it to you so that we could still keep in touch. But remember, don't call me. I will be the one to call you. It's too dangerous. If something happened to me and my phone is taken away, Konoha's location might be revealed and I don't want that to happen. Understood?" He told Hinata who was still sobbing. She took the box with shaking hands. "Ok, take care." She told him.  
  
"Be careful, Naruto-kun." Sakura told him. "Come back alive." Gai-san said. "Don't make Hinata wait too long." Inou teased him. "Bring us something ok?" Lee said. "Don't worry, I'll be back." Naruto said. Neji and Sasuke just gave him silent nods. Naruto sighed and took his mountain pack. "Don't forget to lock my apartment, Iruka-sensei. Arigatou gozaimashites! Don't worry. I'll be back." Naruto told his beloved sensei. Iruka-san gave him a smile that could possibly erase every trace of malice, of pain and of sorrow in his life. Naruto looked at Hinata who was still crying. He gave her the same sweet smile he gave her when he left for his mission four years ago.  
  
"Aishiteru, Hime-chan. Aishiteru." He said and with this, he and Jiraiya- sama disappeared.  
  
"Naruto-kun!!! Kimi o Aishiteru Naruto-kun!!!!!!" Hinata cried.

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A/N: ah, so sad!!! I'm really bad!!! Please review!!!! The next chap is entitled "Why me?!!!!!! Watch out for it!!! Thanks to those to reviewed this fic!!!!! Mwah!!!!!!!!!! Please review!!!!!!!! 


	6. How did I turn up after four years?

A/N: Hi!!! Thanks to all of those who reviewed my fic!!!!! Mwah!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!!! This chapter concentrates on Naruto and Jiraiya's journey to get the Taishaku Kaiten from Joker. Jiraiya discovers that Naruto already knew about the whole truth being his true identity and tries to reach out to him. Naruto bombards questions as to why him. Please review!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't know Naruto, HXH and FOR  
  
"" for dialogs and '' for thoughts

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Naruto and Jiraiya reappeared in a station at the end of Konoha's boundary. There they met with two Anbus and a brigade of Jounins and Chuunins.  
  
"Your identification cards please." They said. Naruto and Jiraiya took out their ID's and gave it to the Anbu. They were utterly surprised especially when they saw Jiraiya's. "You are one of the Legendary Sannins?" they asked in disbelief as they peered to study his face thoroughly. "Hurry up guys. We're on a special mission." Jiraiya told them.  
  
"Mission Sir? Um, do you have the papers to prove that?" one of the Anbu asked. He was wearing a rabbit-like mask. Naruto shoved a folder to him. " We're in a hurry." He told them. "Whoa! Hold your horse boy! Hey! You we're the one we just admitted this morning right?" the Anbu asked.  
  
"Ei, like the boy said, we are in a hurry. So please, do you job now." Jiraiya told them. Naruto took one last deep breath of Konoha's air because beyond this gate, hostility grows. The two Anbus hurriedly processed their papers and logged them in their mission record book. "Ok, off you go." The Anbu said. "Good luck to your mission, soldier." A Jounin told Naruto. They opened the gates and let them pass.  
  
"Ok boy, we're outside Konoha now. We better be careful from now on. We don't know what's lurking beyond the boundary." Jiraiya whispered to him. " I know a shortcut. We can use that to avoid unexpected enemies." Naruto told them. Silence filled the forest. There was a sudden rush of birds in the air.  
  
"We better hurry." Jiraiya told him. He and Naruto started leaping from branch to branch, following a North-West direction.  
  
"Are you sure this is a safe road?" Jiraiya asked him as they swung across the trees. "Tokyo is 147 miles North-West from Konoha. If we maintain this speed, it would take eternity before we could get there. Once we're out of this forest, we'll be very close to Suna so we must get into a disguise." Naruto told him. They stopped for a moment while Naruto sniffed around. " What is it?" Jiraiya asked, imitating his gesture. They paused and leaned closer against the tree trunk. "Someone's coming." Jiraiya told Naruto. The boy grabbed Jiraiya's hand and continued jumping from branch to branch but with thrice the speed this time.  
  
"Naruto! I don't think running away is a good idea." Jiraiya hissed to him. "Shut up. We must get out of this forest as soon as possible." Naruto told him.  
  
They moved with great speed. There was a sudden disturbance within the forest. They kept on moving faster and faster and before they know it, they were out of the forest. When they stepped on land, they felt that they are near the borders of Suna.  
  
"Quick!!!! We need to transform!" Naruto hissed to his former sensei.  
  
With a poof, they vanished into thin air, living two golden eagles taking flight into the broad sky.  
  
"The eagles have some funny way to mate." Kankuro said as he watched the two eagles flew away from their village. He and Temari were walking towards the military headquarters when they spot the eagles (Naruto and Jiraiya in disguise!).  
  
"Funny. I wish Gaara was here. He wanted an eagle ever since he arrived from his mission." Temari said.  
  
The two eagles soared in the vast sky towards North-West from Suna. It took 20 minutes of flight before one of them soared straight down. The later followed until they entered another forest. They swooped down towards a big oak tree, scaring the rest of the mobile members of that small ecosystem. They decided to perch on a large branch of a Sequoia and with a poof, they returned to their original form.  
  
"Wow!!! That was a very refreshing experience!" Jiraiya exclaimed as he stretched his limbs out. "Yeah! It's nice to soar over Japan." Naruto said with a sad smile. "Why a sad smile, Naruto-kun? And where are we, by the way?" Jiraiya asked, giving Naruto a very concerned look and a tap on the shoulders.  
  
"I'm ok, there's nothing to worry about. We're in Ise. From here we take a plane to Tokyo, Japan." Naruto told him. "Um Naruto-kun, fill me in this time." Jiraiya asked him. He doesn't know where the hell they were. Naruto sighed and jumped down the tree and started walking. "Wait up!" Jiraiya called to him. "The ninja countries are all located in Ise, Mei. It's very far from Tokyo if you're thinking of walking so we're taking a plane." Naruto said. "You know what a plane is right?" he turned to Jiraiya. "Ei duh! I've been out of Konoha too and I KNOW what a plane is. It's just that it's too expensive to ride on one those days." Jiraiya scoffed.  
  
"Ah so why are you still asking me where we are?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya stopped. "When I went out of Konoha that time, I ended up in a park. What's its name? Ah! It's the Ise-Shima National Park , just behind the borders of Ame Village." Jiraiya told him. He was walking behind Naruto.  
  
"Ah, but we're still in Ise. Ise-Shima National Park is far from here. We will go to Osaka in order to fly to Tokyo." Naruto told him. They were walking hurriedly, looking for the exit of the forest. "Don't you think people will think we're weird because of our clothes?" Jiraiya suddenly asked Naruto. The boy could not hold off any longer. He let out a hearty laugh.  
  
"Don't worry. Japan is currently in a weird fashion genre. People will hardly notice us." Naruto told him. "It's nice to hear your laugh again, Uzumaki Naruto." Jiraiya said. Naruto paused for a moment. Sadness clouded his eyes again.  
  
"You were so changed when you came back to Konoha. It's as if the Naruto I knew was long gone. Is there something you want to tell me, Naruto?" Jiraiya tapped his shoulders. Naruto felt the concern in his sensei's voice but he did not turn around. The young boy sighed and combed out his messy bangs.  
  
"It's so hard knowing the true reason behind you dark childhood, Jiraiya- sama." Naruto told him. Jiraiya froze. ' So he knows.' He thought. "I mean, why me? Why should I be the one? Why would he place a demon inside me? I know now why people hated me ever since and the reason is I nearly annihilated Konoha." Naruto complained. There is an obvious pain in his voice.  
  
"Naruto-kun..." Jiraiya murmured. He was speechless. He was not prepared for this kind of talk. "Well somehow I thank Yondaime-sama. I would not be this strong if not for Kyubi's power. I'll just try my best to keep him in here, to keep everyone I love safe." Naruto turned around and gave him a sad smile.  
  
"That's right, Naruto-kun. You have to be brave. Yondaime did not intend for the people to hate you. In fact he wanted them to look up to you as a hero, for you are the one who restrains the demon that nearly destroyed Konoha.." Jiraiya told him a smile. "Ok, we better hurry." Naruto said while wiping a solitary tear that escaped his eyes. ' He might have discovered the truth during his mission. Kami-sama! He was bearing this burden for four whole years!' Jiraiya mused.  
  
"Ne, Jiraiya-sensei." Naruto spoke. "Hmm?" Jiraiya murmured. Naruto stopped and turned around to face him. There was sadness in his eyes. "Do you want to know how I knew all about it?" Naruto asked him. His voice was sullen and grave.  
  
"Would it help ease some pain inside you?" Jiraiya asked him. "Hai." Naruto nodded. "Ok, tell me everything...tell me all about it." Jiraiya came to him and placed a comforting arm over his shoulders as he urges him to continue walking.

* * *

"I'm worried." Sakura complained while pacing back and forth inside Naruto's apartment. Nobody moved after Naruto and Jiraiya's departure. Hinata was silently reading the instructions on the phone kit with Lee.  
  
"He's changed. Totally." Gai told them. Kakashi opened his eyes and stared at the picture of Naruto with his friends. "He's pretty determined to do this." Iruka said. "He wanted to prove that he's a totally different person now." Sasuke suddenly spoke up. Neji stared at him.  
  
"You're not thinking that he's a show off are you?" he asked the brunette. "No he's definitely not showing off. He's just too caught up with this Madougu thing. That Aira-sama he talks about really got into his nerve, don't you think?" Shikamaru answered his question. Hinata looked up and stared at them.  
  
"Still talking about Naruto-kun, huh?" she asked. Sakura and Inou gave her sad smiles.  
  
"Oh don't worry about me. I'm fine. It's not that hard since he said goodbye and gave me something to be able to keep contact with him." Hinata told them. Everybody stared at her sympathetically, thinking that she's just faking it.  
  
"Do you want to know why Naruto got the mission?" Kakashi suddenly asked. Heads turned towards him. "You're not supposed to tell them, Kakashi. What word in "Military Secrecy" did you not understand?" Gai said in an outrage. "But they're all soldiers now and beside, they will know eventually." Kakashi told him coolly. "Ch! Smart aleck!" Gai muttered.  
  
"Naze, Kakashi-sensei?" Kiba asked.  
  
"Because Naruto is already a Madougu master." Kakashi told them.  
  
"NANI?!"

* * *

"Three years ago, I was in a mission to New York. It was my 2nd mission given by Chairman Hetero and it became the turning of my life." Naruto said. "New York? You mean you went to America?" the Sennin asked him. The blonde shinobi nodded. "I became a hunter. My first mission was to become one, because Chairman Hetero does not believe that my ninja skill alone can accomplish the tasks he's going to give me. So I participated in an exam called Hunter Exam. I did well because it was kinda similar to the Chuunin Selection exam. I used all the things I've learned as a ninja. They were only eight who passed the said exam and luckily, I was one of them." Naruto said. "I glad that you've been using your skills well, Naruto-kun." Jiraiya reckoned. Naruto gave him a sad smile.  
  
"But when Chairman Hetero told me that my chakra isn't enough to put up a decent fight with the other hunters, I had no choice but to tap into my other aura channel, the Nen. I'm not going to elaborate on that one because I'm forbidden." Naruto said. "It's ok. But tell me, is it the technique you used earlier on Kakashi and the others?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto nodded. "Nice one." The Sennin murmured. "Ok, continue." He said.  
  
"After I've learned Nen, Chairman Hetero sent me to New York to be a part of the largest auction of the decade as one of the Shishiten. Shishiten or the Lions of Heaven is a group of Nen users hired to work underground for security purposes. You don't have to be a hunter to be a member, you just need to be an exceptional Nen user. There were assassins and martial artists in the group. I was the only Shinobi in there but we don't usually give out information about ourselves." Naruto told him.  
  
"exciting life you got there." Jiraiya told him.  
  
"yeah, especially when the most dangerous and deadly group of bandits called Genei Ryoudan came into the picture. They were really ambitious, you know that? They tried to steal every piece of artifact in the auction and they did pretty well. They were good, very good that almost the whole Mafia was wiped out. I was sent to their hideout to retrieve the artifacts alone because three-quarters of the Shishiten were dead. I was caught and I thought that they're going to kill me." Naruto paused and took a deep breath.  
  
"what happened?" Jiraiya asked, getting more intrigued.  
  
"their leader saw that I have the potential to join the Genei Ryoudan so he wanted me to stay alive. They kept on training me, testing my Nen abilities until such time that I was forced to use Ninjutsu just to keep myself alive. That ignited another spark and the leader wanted me to teach him because he can't copy the technique I used in his Nen book. I refused because I don't want to give out Konoha's secrets. They beat me up and left me in the care of one of their female members, Shizuku. The thing is, she uses HER body to heal the sick, unlike Machi who uses Nen threads to sew wounds." Naruto said.  
  
Jiraiya stared at him and noticed that he was a little flushed. "you mean you're not a virgin anymore?!" the Sennin asked in disbelief. Naruto was blushing furiously that time.  
  
"anyway, when she was "healing" me, I was drawn into an oblivion and I saw it." Naruto told him, changing the subject a bit.  
  
"what IT?" Jiraiya asked again.  
  
"I saw Kyuubi. He was talking to me, told me the truth about who I really am. I made a pact with him that I could use his powers all I want, as long as I allow him to get out of my body once a while." Naruto told him.  
  
"NANI?! You let Kyuubi out?!" Jiraiya roared. ' baka kitsune! How could he?'  
  
"if you're thinking that I put all Yondaime's sacrifice into waste just for power then you're wrong! I let him out but not in his demon form. in that same oblivion I saw Yondaime, giving me instructions on how to shrink Kyuubi using three different sealing technique!" Naruto snapped at him. ' stupid Sennin!'  
  
"you mean you saw Yondaime?" Jiraiya asked, looking at him oddly. "now you think I'm crazy?" Naruto shot back.  
  
Jiraiya sighed. ' it's damn hard to believe his story but I need to reach out to him. I HAVE to believe.' Jiraiya mused. "ok, it's hard to believe but I'm seeing light in this." He told the blonde shinobi. He cannot lose Naruto's trust now.  
  
The boy was breathing heavily right now. "so you mean you sealed Kyuubi inside a baby fox's body?" Jiraiya guessed. Naruto smiled. "see? Now you're getting the picture." He told the Sennin.  
  
"so how did you escape from the Genei Ryoudan?" Jiraiya asked him.  
  
"Kyuubi opened a portal which sucked me inside and it transported me back to Japan in Shirakami Mountain range. It was near-death since the rest of the Genei Ryoudan tried to pull me back, violently." Naruto told him.  
  
"what did Chairman Hetero say about this?" Jiraiya asked.  
  
"when he found out that none of the artifacts were saved, he just smiled me and told me that what I've learned from the mission is more important than any treasure." Naruto told him. they stopped for a while when they heard car engines. "we're near the highway." Naruto told him with a smile.  
  
' I think you're real mission was to discover who you really are, Uzumaki Naruto. I'm kinda thankful that Chairman Hetero realized this before us that you are starting to grow up.' Jiraiya thought as he stared at Naruto's back. His long blonde hair shimmered under the sun as they stepped out of the forest.  
  
"I'm glad we're here." Jiraiya said.

* * *

"a Madougu expert?!" the young Chuunins exclaimed.  
  
"impossible!" Kiba, Shino and Shikamaru cried. "unbelievable." Neji murmured. "Sugoi!" Lee cheered. "wow!" Sakura and Inou murmured. "amazing!" Hinata said. Sasuke and Iruka were merely stunned.  
  
"how did you know?" Sakura asked. They all stared at the two Jounins. Gai sighed. "remember when he said that he learned all about the Hokage tribe from a lady named Aira-sama?" Gai asked them.  
  
"yes Gai-sensei! He also told us that this Aira-sama owns the Fujin." Lee told him. "so?" Shikamaru prompted. "he told us that he and Aira-san met in battle. This Aira-sama he's talking about trained him for a long time." Kakashi said. "trained him for what?" Kiba asked. "she trained him to become the successor of Fujin." Gai said.  
  
"NANI?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?" they cried.  
  
' Sugoi!!!' Hinata cheered silently.

* * *

A/N: hey guys!!! Thanks!!!!!! this is the 5th installment! Please continue supporting this fic! by the way...I NEED BETA!!!!! Thanks!!!!! 


	7. Lost in the Wilderness called Japan

A/N: After Naruto told him the whole story, they set out towards Osaka, Japan where they met mishaps along the way because of Jiraiya being himself again, as a pervert. Naruto learns a new lesson: DON'T LEAVE SENNIN ALONE, NO MATTER WHAT REASON OR YOU'LL PAY THE PRICE!  
  
Ria: argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know what to do!!!!! I have so much to do!!!!!!!!!! Naruto: shut up and continue ok? it's my shinning moment ya know!  
  
Naruto: Grrr!!! Can't he keep his perverted hands to himself just for once?!   
Jiraiya: come on! Can't help it! there are lots of beautiful and sexy women here in Osaka!!! yummy!!!  
Naruto: Ew!!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, HunterXHunter and Flame of Recca...

* * *

After ten minutes of rest, Naruto insisted that they should go on with their journey.  
  
"come on Naruto-kun! You drained me out and now we're leaving already?!" Jiraiya complained as they wait beside the highway. "we only have one week to find Joker and get the Taishaku Kaiten." Naruto told him. "but I'm tired." Jiraiya said. "oh shut up! You're one of the legendary three so stop acting like a kid." Naruto snapped at him.  
  
a bus stopped in front of them and Naruto pulled Jiraiya to get into it.  
  
"what's this Naruto? what's this thing?" Jiraiya suddenly blurted out. "it's a bus, Jiraiya-sama. A BUS. And stop pulling me back." Naruto hissed at him after he placed some weird looking paper inside a box near the driver. "two for Shinsekai." Naruto told the driver. "cute." A couple of school girls giggled when they saw Naruto.  
  
"oh." Jiraiya murmured with a sly smile plastered on his lips. Naruto saw this and immediately grab the sennin's hand and led him far in the back of the bus. They took their seats and became quiet for a few minutes.  
  
"wow! Japan has progressed." Jiraiya murmured in awe to break the silence between them. He was leaning against the window while Naruto has his eyes closed for the moment.  
  
"look at them! They're weirdoes but the boy's cute." They heard a girl giggled. "oh kami-sama!" Naruto cursed under his breath.  
  
"now you really ARE changed. I thought you wanted attention." Jiraiya asked him with a crazy smile on his lips.  
  
"would you shut up for a minute, Erro-sennin?" Naruto snapped at him. "now that's what I missed!" Jiraiya patted his shoulders. "now that's what I missed...blah blah..." Naruto mocked him. "aw, the little boy got admirers." Jiraiya teased him. "ch! Erro-sennin." Naruto huffed.  
  
Trees, houses and people seemed to shot by as the bus accelerated. Jiraiya was occupied for the moment while Naruto took the time to rest for a bit. He hasn't been able to rest ever since his journey back to Konoha. No one knew that his return to his village was full of ADVENTURES.  
  
Twenty minutes later...  
  
"ei Naruto-kun..." Jiraiya nudged him with his elbow. "what?" Naruto grunted. He's acting like Sasuke now. "are you sure that this Joker that we're looking for is really in Tokyo?" the Sennin asked him. Naruto sighed. "that is one possible place, I mean Joker is the kind of person who doesn't stay at one place all the time." The blonde Shinobi told him. "but you said he's in Tokyo. You mean we're not really sure where he is?" Jiraiya complained. "but Tokyo is a good place to start looking for someone like him. if not, then we shall travel all over Japan to find him." Naruto said. Jiraiya sighed. "you're too troublesome."  
  
That was the end of the conversation for now. Jiraiya was again preoccupied with the sights outside while Naruto took the moment to rest. But when he realized that the Sennin was rather unusually quiet, he opened his eyes only to see that the Erro-sennin was giggling silently while scribbling on a piece of paper.  
  
"what's that?" Naruto asked, leaning towards him to get a good look of the paper. Jiraiya covered the things he had written while still giggling silently.  
  
"Naruto-kun, I've got a sudden flash of inspiration." He said while blushing a little. Naruto's forehead creased. He still doesn't get what's happening here. it took him a couple of minutes to patch all things up, from Jiraiya's ugly blushing face, his constant glance at the girls upfront and the paper he's holding. Naruto looked at the girls and saw one of them has her bloomers exposed.  
  
"temme!!!!! You're gathering data again!!!" Naruto hit the Sennin hard on the head. People in the bus gaped at them. "Itai!!!!! Nande kuso?!!" Jiraiya retorted and hit Naruto too. "K'so!!!!" Naruto cursed. "you better think again if you want to give me another blow, Naruto-kun. It's not my fault since you insisted that I leave my collections behind." Jiraiya bellowed at him. "Sumimasen, is there something wrong?" a man in blue uniform came to them. Naruto and Jiraiya stared at the conductor of the bus. "um no. Gomen nasai. My friend here is just being childish. Don't worry, I've got everything under control." Naruto told him. Jiraiya stared at the blonde shinobi. "Doo itashimashite. Just call me if there's anything you want." The man smile at them and walked away.  
  
"childish, ch!" Jiraiya scoffed. "I don't want to attract more attention so you better stop that, Erro- sennin." Naruto warned him. "I'm not doing anything! You're the one who's pissed off while I'm just writing quietly." Jiraiya pointed out. Naruto sighed. "Jiraiya-sama, please stop being a pervert just for one week. Please?" Naruto pleaded. Jiraiya stared at the distressed boy. "fine." Jiraiya sighed in defeat. "Yosh!" Naruto cheered.  
  
They remained silent until the end of the trip.  
  
"let's go." Naruto nudged Jiraiya to stand up. People emptied the bus quickly. Naruto made sure that they are at the right stop, the shopping district of Shinsekai, Osaka.  
  
"wohohow!!!!!!" Jiraiya breathed. People dressed up in weird clothes, dozens of stores that lined up in front of them and big T.V. screens perched at almost everywhere overwhelmed our Erro-sennin. "nice..." the Sennin whispered in awe. Everything is swirling in his head, too much for him to digest. Modern Japan really shocked him.  
  
"ei, Erro-sennin." Naruto poked his shoulder but he got no response. "Ei Erro-sennin." Naruto said. He saw Jiraiya's face looked utterly bewildered so he slapped his former sensei's cheek. "Itai!" Jiraiya complained while rubbing his sore cheek. "you we're in a different plane so I really have to do that." Naruto told him. "K'so!" Jiraiya cursed and staggered to hit him back but Naruto held him off.  
  
"hit me next time, Erro-sennin. We have to get moving to the airport to get to Tokyo." Naruto told him. Jiraiya sighed and brought his hand down to his side. "calm down ok? I know that modern Japan overwhelmed you but we can't let that stop us from completing this mission." Naruto told him. Jiraiya nodded silently and let Naruto lead the way through the busy crowd.  
  
They made their way through the shopping district, trying hard to keep low profiles but it seems that Naruto naturally attracts females.  
  
"hurry Erro-sennin. We have to get out of here." Naruto hissed at him. they started running, constantly being followed by pesky females.  
  
' what's up with this baka. I thought he loves attention.' Jiraiya complained silently as he followed behind Naruto. He looks to his right and saw a store with big posters of sexy ladies on its display window. "whoa!" Jiraiya murmured as saliva stared dripping down his mouth. He looked at Naruto's back and grinned. ' I shouldn't be in a hurry...I'll go check this one out! Hehehe!!!!!' Jiraiya snickered and slowly inched away from Naruto who was busy thinking of ways on how to ditch his unexpected female fans.  
  
"k'so!!! Now I know how Sasuke felt." Naruto murmured, not realizing that Jiraiya drifted away towards the shop.  
  
"KAWAI!!!!!" the girls screeched.  
  
Jiraiya-sama went inside the shop and saw a couple of guys gaping at an open magazine. "how may I help you, sir?" a man towards our Erro-sennin with a familiar perverted smile. "um," Jiraiya murmured. His eyes scanned the placed and saw things that are not supposed to be exposed to minors.  
  
"nice..." the Sennin murmured while grinning. The man led him further inside the shop of lust... owari!!!!

* * *

"oi, Erro-sennin." Naruto said and titled his head, only to find out that Jiraiya is gone. "Yamero!!!!" Naruto cursed a little too loud, making heads turn towards his direction.  
  
"I've got to find him!!!" Naruto cursed before running off towards the same direction he came.  
  
' where could he be?" Naruto wildly asked himself. He was running at top speed that he passed by the store where Jiraiya was.  
  
"k'so!!!!" Naruto cursed.

* * *

"thank you so much, Sir! It's nice doing business with you!" the store manager cheekily said before Jiraiya stepped out of his store, grinning like a maniac. Thank Kami-sama that he did not forget to bring some hefty gold with him or he will not be able to buy the things he needed for his book. A couple of devices, video tapes and magazines caught his eyes so he paid the man a hefty amount of gold.  
  
"Hehehe...I can't believe Naruto did not tell me about shops like this here." Jiraiya murmured. He could just imagine the things he will put these things in use for. "this will improve my data-gathering. Hihihi..." he snickered, eyes glinting like a maniac. "now where could that dope be?" Jiraiya asked himself, pausing in the middle of the busy shopping center.  
  
"uhoh..." Jiraiya sweat-dropped.  
  
He started walking towards the opposite direction from Naruto's and was stuck in a middle of a shopping stampede.  
  
"get out of here!" "wait!" "it's a sale!!!" "Naruto!!! Where are you?!?!?!" Jiraiya yelled through the crowd. He is getting dizzy with all the shouting and chaos around him. he closed his eyes and held his arm in front of him all the sudden and felt something soft, really soft.  
  
' hey what's this? squeeze it's so soft! squeezesqueeze' Jiraiya mused, still squeezing the breast of the woman in front of him.  
  
SLAP! "HENTAI!!!!!!!!!!!!" the woman screeched after she slap Jiraiya awake from his musing.

* * *

"HENTAI!!!!!!!!!!" someone screamed. Naruto froze upon hearing it. "oh no! please don't let it be!" Naruto muttered and started jumping from one stall to the other to get to the source of commotion.

* * *

"HENTAI!!!!!" the woman shrieked again. "Gomen nasai!!! I did not see you!!!" Jiraiya was apologizing to death to the squealing woman. All eyes were on him, burning with rage. "Gomen nasai!!!!" Jiraiya said.  
  
"BAKA!!!!!!" Naruto yelled as he flew towards them. He grabbed Jiraiya's shirt and carried him into the air as they continue to escape the enraged shoppers. "they're running away!!!" the people yelled. Some tried to run after them but of course, they could not catch up because of Naruto's speed. Jiraiya saw the dildo that he bought fell off his pack. " NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he cried in despair.  
  
"You're dead when we get out of here, Erro-sennin! I promise you that!" Naruto yelled ah he continued to leap stall by stall, dragging Jiraiya with him.  
  
"it's not my fault Naruto! I swear!!!!" Jiraiya protested. "shut up!" Naruto snapped at him. a few seconds later, they were out of Shinsekai, down to Osaka's busy streets. They hid behind an old, abandoned building. Naruto released Jiraiya from his grip to let the Sennin gasp some air.  
  
"it. was. Not. My. fault." Jiraiya said in between gasps. BAM!!!! Naruto's answer was a hit on the head. "baka! I thought you promised to stop being a pervert for a while?!" Naruto bellowed at him. "it was not my fault! I hallucinated because I was lost, baka!!!!!" Jiraiya shot back. "but do you have to molest the woman?! Man! That's extra low even for you Erro-sennin!" Naruto yelled. "I told you I did not mean it!!: Jiraiya shot back. A string of animosity flashed between the two angry shinobis.  
  
"will you cut it out? You're disturbing someone, you know." Someone spoke from behind. Naruto and Jiraiya turned around to see who is it and both gave different reactions. Jiraiya was irritated while Naruto was frozen.  
  
"YOU?!"

* * *

A/N: al last!!!!!! I'm back!!!!! Please review!!!!!!!! Next chapter's title is "Eclipse in Osaka" please watch out for it!!!!!!!! Please!!!!! I need beta!!!! If you want, email me at : thanks!!!!!!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!! 


	8. Eclipse on Osaka

A/N: argh!!!!!! I'm going insane!! I don't think I'll be able to finish this!!! Please help me!!!!!!! Anyway, Naruto meets up with an unexpected enemy. He should have known that this person is very unpredictable. Please review!!!!!!!!!

"" for dialogs and '' for thoughts.

Disclaimer: same...

Terms:

**Kuro no Hono'o**- Black Flame Blast technique. I don't know is this sounds good I just invented it.

**Kaze no Tsumi**- 3 white claws extending from Fujin, and was created when she put the Oni's Tsumi in the empty spot where the main central gem should have gone.

**Kekkai**- force field

**Gamaguchi Shibari**Toad Mouth Bind

**Gesshoko En**Endless Lunar Eclipse

**Omae wa korosu**I will kill you

**Shikkari shite**Hold on. Don't give up

* * *

"YOU?!" Naruto gasped, staring at the tall man in front of them. "You know him, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked the blonde shinobi. The wind rushed to them, sweeping Naruto's golden locks to dance in the air.

"Well, well, well...who do we have here? I never thought I'd see you again, Wind Master Uzumaki Naruto." the man said, his lips curving up into a sly smile. His pale complexion complements his short jet-black hair. He may look very different from the dreaded person but he disguise cannot hide the power of the aura he emitted.

"w-what are you doing here?" Naruto trembled as he spoke to the man. Jiraiya eyed his former student, puzzled by his reaction.

"You're asking me what am I doing here? Kami-sama Naruto, you're so naïve." The man said, moving closer to Naruto while the boy started backing up. "Naruto! What the hell are you doing?!" Jiraiya hissed at the blonde shinobi.

"And you brought a friend along with you, I see. So, is it safe for me to conclude that he's also a shinobi like you?" the man turned his attention to Jiraiya. Our Erro-sennin held his gaze, still not realizing the real problem.

"Don't you ever dare lay a finger on him, for I will not hesitate to kill you!" Naruto suddenly muttered, breaking their eye-contact. "Hahahahahaha!!!! You are too damn naïve and foolish, you know that ne, Naruto-kun? You do not know who you're trying to scare here. Oh I like kids like you getting too psyched in defending the weak and all. You remind me of the baka Hanabishi Recca and Koganei Kaoru." The man said, advancing towards the boy.

Jiraiya flinched. He knows what's gonna happen next. If he's not mistaken, they have to finish their mission a little early that usual. "Back off Naruto!!!" Jiraiya yelled, his body tensing up to prepare for the unexpected battle.

"You think you can defeat me, old man? I think you're not even half as good as this boy here." the man taunted our Erro-sennin. A vein appeared on Jiraiya's forehead.

"TEMME!!!!!!!!!! STOP PLAYING GAMES WITH US, JOKKKERRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Naruto yelled.

Meanwhile (Konoha)

"Where do you think they are now?" Kurenai asked Asuma. All five Jounins with Iruka were lingering inside a restaurant, discussing about their upcoming mission.

"They are probably on their way to Tokyo." Gai replied before gulping down his beer. "Isn't it too absurd that Hokage-sama sent Naruto to this kind of mission? I mean...he might get..." Iruka said worriedly. Kakashi gave a heart laugh. "You should have seen the look in the boy's eyes when he blasted off the chairs and tables. He sure is changed. I bet something really scary or terrible made him act that way, just like when he used Kyuubi's chakra during the Chuunin exam." Kakashi said.

"Something bad?" Anko asked, turning around to stare at Kakashi. "Yeah...something must have happened to the boy that triggered another personality. If we analyze it, we have the notorious Naruto who strives for attention, the Kyuubi-possessed Naruto where he becomes a little scary and the new Naruto, the long-haired blonde Shinobi. His chakra? It has become more complicated that before." Kakashi told them, pointing at his Sharingan eye.

"What about his chakra?" Iruka asked worriedly. Of course he's worried. He and Naruto were almost brothers and he wants to know what happened to the boy after four years.

"I pulled Neji back before they left the house earlier this morning. I saw him use his Byakugan when we got all frozen outside Naruto's apartment. He said something about Naruto having three chakra highways, not his usual two highways." Kakashi said.

_------------------Flashback----------------_

"_Neji, why did you use Byakugan on Naruto? He could've retaliated." Kakashi told the white-eyed Genin. _

"_Demo Kakashi-sensei, it's my defense mechanism. I couldn't help it. But Kakashi-sensei I'll only tell this to you, there's something's very odd about Naruto's chakra highway." Neji told him. _

"_Neji! Hurry up!!!!" they heard Lee called from outside. Kakashi-sensei closed the door to insure privacy between them._

"_What is it? Tell me Neji...what's wrong with Naruto's chakra highway? It's already unusual because of Kyuubi's chakra but what's wrong now?" Kakashi hushed his words with urgency._

"_He...he has three chakra highways now but the new one I saw was really faint." The Genin told him._

_Kakashi froze. 'What? Another source of power?'_

"_I'm not sure but aside from his blue and red chakra highways, I saw a faint yellow. As you know, if I use Byakugan, the chakra highway is as big as a medical rubber tube running along the entire system but the yellow highway I saw was as thin as a thread, barely recognizable. It was unusual though because Byakugan can see through anything." Neji told the Jounin. _

"_Unbelievable..." Kakashi murmured. "Kakashi-sensei, do you think Naruto as acquired a new source of power?" Neji asked him. Kakashi sighed. "I'm not sure Neji-kun but promise me this, don't tell anyone what you saw ok? I'll go confirm it with the 3rd Hokage." Kakashi said. _

"_Hai." Neji nodded._

_------------------------End of flashback-------------------_

"What? You mean he got another source of power except from Kyuubi's chakra?!" Anko gasped. Kurenai stared at him confusedly. "Ask Gai. He has seen it." Kakashi told them. Everyone turned to Gai. "I haven't seen it, Kakashi. I just felt it, just like everybody in that place. It's really unnerving to see that boy's getting more powerful as he grows." Gai said.

"You cannot blame him. It's because of the treatment the people gave him here, he often results to struggling to make himself more powerful to gain respect from the people of Konoha." Asuma said.

"Let's forget about that. Let's go back to why Naruto became that way. You think that Chairman Hetero did something to him?" Iruka asked worriedly. "You can ask Naruto when he comes back if you like." Kakashi said while smiling at him like an idiot. Anko hit him on the head. "ITAI!" Kakashi retorted.

"Baka! You think Naruto will tell him what happened? Ahou!" Anko shot back. "But we have to...I don't want Naruto to turn into Sasuke." Iruka insisted. Kurenai patted the Chuunin's back. "He will not turn into Sasuke, Iruka. All you have to do is believe in him." she said. Iruka said.

"I wonder how he's putting up with Jiraiya-sama..."

Back at Osaka

"KISAMA!!!!!!!!!" Naruto yelled and lunged towards Joker while his right hand glowing. "Now, now what are you planning to do, Naruto-kun?" Joker taunted as he playfully leaped backward. "I'm going to kill you!!!!" Naruto cried. Jiraiya was behind Naruto performing some handseals. "Kuro no Hono'o No Just!" a blast of black flame burst out of Jiraiya's palms towards Joker. Naruto suddenly disappeared from the fire's path and reappeared behind joker. "Kaze no Tsumi!!!" his Fujin glowed and released three glistering wind claws towards their enemy.

Joker merely smiled at the two attacked him on opposite directions. "Is that all you've got?" he asked before the two blasts reached him in great impact.

"BOOM!!!!" the building rattled under the force of the two shinobis. 'Thud' Naruto landed perfectly on his feet while watching the smoke vanish from the point of impact. "Naruto, he's not there." Jiraiya suddenly said.

"You right, Mr. Shinobi. You could have at least tried to think over some plan against..." the heard joker spoke from nowhere. Naruto flinched, felt a cold shiver up his spine. "ME!!!" he yelled, reappeared behind Naruto with the Taishaku Kaiten in his hands, aimed to slash our blonde shinobi's back. "NARUTO!!!" Jiraiya yelled to warn him but he was one second late to react.

'WHAM!' Joker mercilessly slashed Naruto in one strike. "NARUTO!!!!!!!" Jiraiya yelled, watching Naruto fell.

"Baka. You should have known better than to go for the Kaiten." Joker said. He was floating in midair, surrounded by a kekkai. "Ch...bastard..." Naruto muttered in between coughs of blood. "Naruto!" Jiraiya immediately ran to his former student's aid. "Daijoubu, Erro-sennin. I'm ok." Naruto assured him but from the look in his eyes, the Sennin could feel the terrible pain Naruto is into.

"Naruto. Naruto...I don't think you are fit to be in this fight." Jiraiya told him. "Shut up Erro-sennin. I can still...fight." Naruto muttered while trying to move his fingers. 'K'so! He's aiming for my spinal chord.' Naruto thought. He pushed his body to stand up and face Joker again. He staggered to keep himself up to keep fighting.

Joker yawned. "I thought this is going to be an interesting match since you had beaten the former wind master, Aira Kirisawa. You're useless." Joker said with an evil glint is his eyes. The Taishaku Kaiten shone like a star under a beam of sunlight. "I thought you wanted this?" joker asked and held his weapon to them. "Then come and get it!" he suddenly launched towards Naruto and Jiraiya, aiming his Kaiten for their throats.

"Gamaguchi Shibari!" Jiraiya cried after doing some super fast handseals. "NANI?!" Naruto gaped, realizing that they are in a different environment. "NICE ONE! BUT NOT FAST ENOUGH TO GET ME!" Joker laughed and drew is Kaiten. "BAKA!" Jiraiya cried when a thick mass of flesh shot up to create a barrier for him and Naruto. "NANI?!" Joker spat when he realized his attack was stopped.

"You shouldn't underestimate the powers of the shinobis." Jiraiya said with a smile. "Nice one, Erro-sennin. You gave me time to heal." Naruto gave him a thumbs-up sign. Jiraiya stared at Naruto's exposed flesh which was already woundless. 'How did this is do that? Is Kyuubi's powers this great now?' Jiraiya muttered.

"Don't let your guard down even for a second!" Joker yelled, already aiming his scythe towards them. They did not notice that the wall of flesh was already gone. "Erro-sennin!" Naruto cried.

"Not so fast!" Jiraiya cried as thin strings of flesh shot towards Joker. "Useless!" Joker said, activating his kekkai. The strings of flesh were deflected and Joker was going to Jiraiya's other half. "Erro-sennin!" Naruto cried and lung towards his sensei. He gathered a large amount of aura into his left hand. "Heroic aren't you Naruto-kun?" Joker taunted as he descend towards the two shinobis. "Well that's not going to work!" he cried. "SHINEI!!!!!!" Joker cried at he drew the Kaiten.

'BOOM!'

The earth shook with the force of impact.

"Nani?! What the hell if going on?" a man who felt the tremors asked in panic.

"It's an earthquake!" a woman shrieked.

"Run!" and pandemonium broke free into the streets of Osaka.

"Run for your lives!"

Meanwhile at Konoha (training grounds)

"Hinata! Are you ok?" Sakura asked when she saw her pale friend has gone extra pale.

"I'm fine. I just suddenly loss track of things." Hinata told her, not wanting Sakura to worry that much. Her pink-haired friend has been like that since Naruto left for his mission.

"Oh don't be such a worrywart, Sakura. Hinata is not a little girl anymore." Ino said while patting Hinata's head.

"Honestly guys, we need to start training now." Shikamaru said. "Loosen up Shika!" Lee said. "We need to train, in order to keep up with Naruto's abilities. If you want to be left behind, be my guest." Neji spoke up from afar. "Right." Sasuke agreed.

"YOSH!!! Let's go train!!!!" Kiba cried.

'I really hope Naruto's OK.' Hinata mused before following her comrades.

Konoha (Shinobi Headquarters)

"You have to find her...and fast. If there's going to be a war, then we'll probably need a back-up." Sandaime said. "But why insist on this plan? Are you anticipating your death?" an elder said to him. "If we're dealing with some like Orochimaru then it's fitting to think that way. It's a precautionary measure." Sandaime said. He stared at the contract in front of him.

"Now that Suna had backed away from the war and became our ally...we need to be prepared to defend ourselves from the full anger of Oto." He added. "If only Jiraiya-sama is here..." the elder murmured.

"We can trust Jiraiya's data gathering techniques but it'll be a week before he comes back. It's best if we start acting now." Sandaime told them.

"Tsunade...where the hell are you?" he murmured.

Shinsekai, Osaka

"How could—"Joker gasped. Naruto held off the Kaiten with one hand. "I...told you...if you touch him...I'll kill you." Naruto murmured, exerting more power on his left hand. "Naruto..." Jiraiya muttered.

"How could you do it?! Are you a monster?!" Joker asked. 'How can this lowly being stop Kaiten?' joker asked himself as he continued to push against Naruto's hand.

"Bakemono ka? I may be a monster...but...I don't want to see...close friends...dying in front of me...ever!" Naruto said. He smiled. He concentrated his aura on his right fist. your aura in one part of your body, and Kou, making that concentrated aura into a weapon' Naruto thought. He remembered all of the things Chairman Hetero taught him. "You're gong to die here, Joker. I promise you that." Naruto said firmly. "Hah! I'll see to it that you fail!" Joker laughed, pushing against Naruto.

"Naruto let go of him!" Jiraiya said, while doing some handseals. "Close your eyes, Erro-sennin!!!" Naruto yelled. The aura in his right hand is growing bigger.

"What are you going to do now, Naruto-kun?" Joker taunted him. "I'm going to make sure you'll be incapacitated forever!" Naruto said. He pushed the Kaiten off his bleeding hands.

"NARUTO!!!" Jiraiya yelled. "SHINEI!!!!!!!!!!!! "Joker yelled, aiming his Kaiten at Naruto's neck. "Omae wa korosu!!!!!!!!!!!!" Naruto yelled. He launched himself up towards Joker. "Baka!!!" Jiraiya yelled.

"TEMMEE!!!!!!!" Naruto growled. He whisked Joker's Kaiten sideward before he impaled his right palms on joker's eyes. "SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR EYES! GESSHOKO EN!!!!!!!" "NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Joker screamed. Jiraiya closed his eyes when darkness engulfed them and the whole Shinsekai district.

"Nani?! What's happening?!" the people ran amok.

"It's a lunar eclipse!!!" they yelled.

"U...Uzumaki N...Naruto...shi...shikkari shite..." Joker murmured. When Naruto's hand touched his eyes, all optic nerves were disrupted and his cornea was destroyed together with the flow of electricity in his body.

"A...arigatou...Joker..." Naruto murmured, tears streaming down his face. It took five seconds for the darkness to disappear.

Jiraiya opened his eyes to see what happened and saw Naruto standing over Joker's body, holding the Taishaku Kaiten.

"What happened Naruto?" Jiraiya asked his former student. "I...I won." Naruto said, not minding the tears in his eyes.

'He's crying...' Jiraiya mused when he saw Naruto.

'I will never give up...never' Naruto thought while staring at joker's calm face.

"You go build you're new world, Naruto-kun. Be careful..." Joker murmured. Jiraiya was surprised.

"Take care of the Madougus. It's our life you're holding in your arms." He said. "Sou ka...Arigatou..."

* * *

A/N: ok!!!! After a long break I've finally finished this!!!!! Hahahahaha!!!!!!!! I've been busy...sorry for the long wait!!!!!!!! Please continue reviewing and if someone's interested, I need beta. And sorry of this chapter is full of crap ok? Thanks!!!! Mwah!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	9. Wouldn't it be nice

A/N: ok...I promise I'll make this one longer...it's just that I don't have the time because of the hectic schedule that I have...well eniwei...thanks to those who gave their insights and suggestions to improve this crap! Joke! Well as stated in the story, Naruto is no longer a virgin...shucks and Hinata is not the lucky girl... let's just say it's one of the reasons why the title of the story is " Even after..." don't worry because there will be more Naru/Hina scenes in the future. I just want to go along with my plot. About the length of this fic, I'm not quite sure. Ideas just keep on coming to me everyday. And to those questioning why Sarutobi is still the Hokage...you just wait ok? Mwah!!!! Thanks to your support!!! I love you all!!!!!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!

P.S. I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE SPECIAL THANKS TO **CLICKE** BECAUSE HE AGREED TO BECOME MY BETA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK A LOT!!!!! ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: the usual.... And I borrowed some excerpt from the manga, volume 16 chapter 136. Hehehe...

daijoubu desu ka= are you ok?.

"" for dialogs and '' for thoughts and SE (sound effects)

NOTE: PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!

* * *

"Ei Naruto...what are we going to do now?" Jiraiya asked his former student who was silent for a while. Naruto sighed. They were perched on the building across the crime scene.

"You really didn't kill him, did you?" Jiraiya asked again. "He'll live...although in darkness. I destroyed his eyes." Naruto told him. In his hand was the Taishaku Kaiten, still stained with blood from the battle. People were streaming in and out of the building across them to see what happened. The medics had brought out Joker earlier and rushed him to the hospital.

"You think he'll be able to recover?" Ero-sennin asked again. "I think so. He'll probably go to Yanagi-sama to seek cure." Naruto answered him. He stood up and started walking away from the scene. "Y-Yanagi-sama? Who is this Yanagi-sama?" Jiraiya asked again, now following Naruto's suit.

"The great healer, Yanagi." Naruto said before he started leaping from one building to another.

"But Naruto...what we are going to do now? We finished our mission six days earlier than expected." Jiraiya told him. They were traveling northward. Naruto sighed and stopped for a while. "What now?" Jiraiya was forced to stop too.

"You think they could do it, Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked him. Jiraiya looked into Naruto's eyes and saw sadness and doubt. "Why are you saying those things Naruto?" Jiraiya asked worriedly. "You saw how strong Joker was. Do you think the others could match against people like him? There are more of Joker's kind that we need to face. There's Neon and her sisters. If we analyze the situation, our ninjas would not stand a chance against these people." Naruto said.

Jiraiya sighed. "As I've said before, don't underestimate the power of the shinobis. They can handle it. We have lots of strong people, capable of fighting for Konoha." Jiraiya told him. "But these people have the advantage, Jiraiya-sama. They are known as Nature's masters. We may have unique and strong clans and jutsus but it's still not enough." Naruto insisted. "So what do you think we need to do?" Jiraiya asked him. Naruto smiled.

"What are you smiling at, baka?" Jiraiya asked, getting confused. "We still have six days right?" Naruto asked him, smiling like a maniac. Jiraiya stared at him. It took a couple of seconds before, "Ah! I got it!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Naruto said excitedly. "To where?" Jiraiya asked. "To Akita to see Neon!!!" Naruto said. He formed a handseal.

"HENGE!!!!"

_Meanwhile (Konoha) _

"I never thought I'd be back here to seek refuge." A woman said.

"But we're already here so don't worry." Her companion told her. "Because people here are not stupid enough to lend you money..." she whispered in adding to what she said.

"I heard that! SHIZUNE!!!!!!"

_Konoha training grounds _

"Neji-nii-san, I want to train with you!" Hinata insisted. "You go train with Kiba, Hinata-hime. Sasuke and I are training together." Neji replied. "Am I still not strong enough to become your sparring partner?" Hinata asked, getting upset by her cousin's cold attitude towards her. He may show his soft side to her once in a while but he returns to the same old Neji when it comes to training.

"Yes..." Neji said and walked away from her. Hinata was flaring in anger. Someone tapped her shoulders. "It's ok Hinata. You must understand that the two of them do not belong to our level." Kiba told her. "Demo..." Hinata murmured.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan. Neji and Sasuke may be stronger than us now but if we train harder, we'll be able to beat them, ok?" Lee told her with an encouraging smile. Hinata felt her heart lighten up. "You're right Lee-san." Hinata told him with a smile. "Oh the wonders of youth!!!!" Lee cried out in happiness. "Uh daijoubu desu ka, Lee-san?" Hinata sweat-dropped while looking at Lee. "He's ok, Hinata." Kiba said in between giggles.

Hinata chuckled a little then cast a glance at her cousin who started sparing with Sasuke.

"I'm strong now, Neji-nii-san." Hinata muttered to herself.

_Konoha (Shinobi Headquarters) _

"What would you want us to do, Hokage-sama?" Anko asked. She, together with Kakashi, Gai, Asuma and Kurenai were summoned by the 3rd to a special meeting.

"Gather all the Genins and Chuunins and assemble them in the training ground. Kakashi, Asuma, gather as many Chuunin captains and Jounins as you can. We will train our little warriors hand in hand starting today. By the time Naruto and Jiraiya get back, we will stage an all-out training with the Madougus." Sandaime told them.

'POOOOF'

"What's that?" Kurenai said in alarm, grabbing a kunai from her holster. Anko and Gai immediately jumped in front of the Hokage to protect him.

"What's the fuss about, Oyajii?" someone spoke up through the smoke.

"Oyajii? That voice is kinda familiar..." Sandaime murmured. When the smoke cleared, they saw Gamakichi, son of Gamabunta the Frog Boss, in front of them.

"A frog?" Asuma asked in disbelief.

"What are you doing here, Gamakichi? Who summoned you?" Sandaime asked the frog.

"Ch! It's the Ero-sennin who summoned me alright. I only agreed because this is a highly classified information." The small frog arrogantly spat.

"What's Jiraiya's message?" Sandaime asked. He gestured to the Jounins to lower their guards down.

"I will tell you what he exactly told me." Gamakichi said excitedly. He was hoping up and down.

"Well what is it?" Sandaime asked again.

"Here I go...aherm!" Gamakichi cleared his throat.

"**_Sorry to break the contract, Sarutobi-sensei. Naruto and I decided to complete Operation White Lotus now. By the time we get back, we will bring all the Madougus with us. We decided that it is best if we get them by ourselves after seeing Joker's power. It is not safe for our young shinobis to fight such cruel bunch of ninjas. We are on our way to Neon to get the S&N sword. Wish us good luck!_**"

Gamakichi finished his report. "Uh...feel...dizzy." The frog complained then suddenly fell unconscious. "What happened to him?" Kurenai asked worriedly. She went to the frog to see if he's still alive. "That idiot. He made sure that after doing his job, Gamakichi will forget everything about it so he would not spill it out to anyone but us." Sandaime told them.

"You mean they are going to collect all the Madougus all by themselves?" Anko asked in disbelief.

"Will you allow them, Hokage-sama?" Gai asked worriedly.

"So unfair! I want to see the outside world!!!" Kakashi complained.

"There's nothing that I can do. If we're to stop them, we don't have a clue where to start." Sandaime told them.

"So we're just going to wait here until them return. What if something bad happens to them while they're on mission? They are carrying a huge and very important baggage." Asuma sighed.

"If you're talking about the vulnerability of the Madougus to the public, I think Naruto has that covered. He has this special technique that makes objects shrink into smaller packages." Kakashi told them.

"Well, we'll just have to question them about their decision when they return. As of now, a team of ANBU is looking for Tsunade and the rest of us will train our asses off." Sandaime told them. "YOSH!" they replied.

"Ok, you're dismissed." Sandaime told them. One by one, the Jounins left the headquarters in a poof. Only Anko remained behind. "Are you still thinking that you're going to die? That's why you're looking for Tsunade-hime and preparing everyone to be stronger." Anko said with a solemn voice.

"I'm old, Anko. Life is ephemeral. I can't leave forever." Sandaime answered her. "We will protect you!" Anko shot back.

"But still, one cannot live forever. I know that Jiraiya doesn't want the responsibility that's why Tsunade is our last chance." Sandaime told her with a sad smile.

"Demo..." Anko insisted but she was cut off.

"You're dismissed Anko. I believe that we have a busy day ahead of us." Sandaime told her cheerfully. Anko sighed and bowed before disappearing.

"We are the shinobis of the Leaf. The place where the leaves dance...the fires burn...is in our hearts..." Sandaime murmured, while watching the clouds float from above.

_Back at Tokyo_

"Why are we in Tokyo?" Jiraiya asked him while looking at the tourist's folio in his hands. "I realized that we need to see someone quick." Naruto said. They started walking along a deserted street. "And who is this someone?" Jiraiya asked.

"You ask too many questions Ero-sennin. It's best for you to walk silently so that dogs will not chase us." Naruto told him. A vein popped in Jiraiya's head. "Ch!!! Know it all idiot." He muttered. They turned around the block and stopped in front of a white-painted house.

"Why are we stopping here?" Jiraiya asked. "You ask too many questions..." Naruto said while sniffling around. "Hey! What are you doing?" Jiraiya asked, looking mortified by his actions. Naruto ignored him and rang the doorbell.

After a few seconds, the gate opened and a man with bird-like eyes greeted them. "Oyahou—"he paused when he saw Fujin showing underneath Naruto's sleeves. "What do you want from me? I'm not working for Kurei anymore!" the man backed away when Naruto advanced towards him.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could have the Hizangu and relieve you from the burden of hiding out, ne Hanemaru-san?" Naruto said with a wide smile of his face. Jiraiya decided to leave everything to Naruto.

"But I already told you, I'm not working for him anymore!!! I have nothing to do with you people!!!" the man named Hanemaru stammered. Naruto's wide smile turned into a maniacal one when he heard what he said.

"I guess you still remember Kirisawa Aira right? And Fujin too? I can see the fear in your eyes when you saw this." Naruto said and pulled his sleeves up to reveal the fujin. "That-that" Hanemaru stuttered.

"And you still remember what she did to you using this, right? It's possible and amusing to repeat history, right Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto continued to threaten him. "Uh yeah...it is..." Jiraiya answered. "Please...leave me alone..." Hanemaru pleaded.

"If you would give the Hizangu to us, then we'll leave you in peace." Naruto told him. "O-ok. Wait here." Hanemaru murmured before he stood up and ran inside his house.

"Are you sure he'll give it to us? What if he'll call the police or something?" Jiraiya asked him. "Nah! He won't do that. The pain fujin caused him is too much for him to let himself experience it once more." Naruto said with a smile. After a few seconds, Hanemaru came out carrying some sort of a pair of wings with him.

"Here, here! Take this! I don't want it anymore!" Hanemaru hurriedly gave the Hizangu to them. A familiar red blanket shot out of Naruto's palm and wrapped itself around Hizangu, shrinking it into a very small package.

"How did—"Hanemaru started to asked but Naruto cut him off with a gesture of his hand. "Wouldn't it be nice if you could shut your mouth from now on?" Jiraiya suddenly asked him. Naruto gave him a knowing glance. "H-hai." Hanemaru stuttered. "We better get going. We need to see Neon right now." Naruto said before he and Jiraiya turned around to leave. "Y-you're going to Neon-sama?" he asked. "Clean your ears Hanemaru-san." Naruto said. Before he and Jiraiya finally disappeared, he paused and looked back at the frail man. "And by the way..." he started.

"W-what?" the later asked his trembling voice. "Send my regards to your brothers, Kushibashimaru and Tsunimaru." Naruto said before they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Kami-sama...that boy reminded me of Hanabishi Recca." Hanemaru said shakily as he watch two eagles soared towards the heavens.

_Somewhere near Konoha_

"You think it's wise that we stay here?" a woman asked. A man with glasses turned to her with a smile.

"Its fun watching Konoha scramble to prepare for the war..." the man said.

"Oh come on, Kabuto! If we get spotted here, it'll be the end." The woman cried. She flipped her long red hair over her shoulders. "Ok fine, Katsura...we'll leave for now." The man called Kabuto sighed. He stood up and turned to leave. "Wait for me!" Katsura stomped behind him. '_Ch! she's_ _very troublesome...if she has not been Orochimaru's new pet, I would have killed her already_...'Kabuto mused before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

_Somewhere in Konoha_

"Now where can we find some money?" Tsunade rubbed her hands in earnest as she stared at the pawnshop in front of them.

"Come on, Tsunade-hime! Stop gambling!" Shizune sweat-dropped. The pig squealed in agreement.

"You are such a party-pooper, Shizune." Tsunade told her.

"I think she's trying to save your from more harm..." somebody spoke behind them. "And who the hell is that?" Tsunade asked, looking rather irritated.

"It's me, Tsunade...your sensei...Sarutobi."

_Konoha (Training grounds) _

"Ne...ji..." Sasuke panted. They are both wasted for they've been sparring for hours and none between them would want to admit defeat. "Sa...Sasuke..." Neji breathed, holding his kunai up with shaking hands.

"Tell me...tell why are we doing this again?" Sasuke asked while whipping the blood off his chin. "We're doing this so that we won't be left out." Neji replied. His Byakugan started to disappear and saw Sasuke's Sharingan deactivated too.

"I...can't hold up...anymore..." Sasuke mouthed before he fell on his knees.

"Me too..." Neji agreed, following his suit.

"Ne...Sasuke..." Neji said in between gulps of air.

"What?" the younger boy snapped.

"Naruto..." Neji started.

"What about him?" Sasuke asked, taking interest in what the older Chuunin has got to say.

"He's getting stronger...I can feel it Sasuke..." Neji breathed.

"How did you know?" Sasuke retorted. It's supposed to be a normal thing but Naruto getting stronger seems too hard for him to take.

"I...saw it...he has a new source of power...not only Kyuubi's..." Neji told him. _"This guy really doesn't want to be left out...'_ he concluded in his mind.

"What?" Sasuke gasped.

"And we may not be able to catch up with this kind of training..." Neji added. He saw Sasuke stood up abruptly and did the same.

"There's no way I'm going to lose to him." Sasuke said in a hard and firm voice.

"You think you're the only one thinking that way? Come on...you're too selfish." Neji said. Both of the reached for their kunai holster and took one out.

"Here's for Naruto!!!" Sasuke cried as he and Neji lunged towards each other at the same time.

Akita, Japan

"Wow! It took us what, thirty minutes?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief as they reappeared on a vast violet-covered field.

"It's been a long while since I grazed these plains." Naruto murmured with a wistful look. He took a deep breath of the violet-scented air.

"Aw...never thought you're the nostalgic type of guy, Naruto-kun." Jiraiya teased. "It's not my fault that I came out this way..." Naruto shot back. Jiraiya gaped at his sudden change of attitude.

"Now what?" Jiraiya asked him. He reached out to place a hand on Naruto's shoulder. The long blonde hair caressed his skin and it made him feel wistful, as if even that part of Naruto tells him the burden inside the young shinobi's heart.

"Promise me Ero-sennin..." Naruto murmured. "W-what? Can't hear you." Jiraiya said. "I said..." Naruto took a deep breath. "Uhuh..." Jiraiya prompted. "Pormisemeyou'llneverleaveme!" Naruto said abruptly that Jiraiya barely made something out from what he said.

"Naze, Naruto-kun? Of course I'll never leave you, you're my student." Jiraiya ruffled his blonde hair. Naruto's shoulders shook. Jiraiya was surprised to see glistening tears flowed down Naruto's pale cheeks. Jiraiya faced him and shook his shoulders.

"Hey! Are you ok? Naruto..." Jiraiya said worriedly. Naruto kept his eyes downcast.

"I..." Naruto choked.

"Don't worry...tell me..." Jiraiya said.

"I...don't want to be..." Naruto murmured.

"Yes?" Jiraiya prompted. Naruto brought up his shaking hands to wipe his tears.

"I don't...I don't want to be alone anymore..." Naruto choked out. Wistful sapphire eyes looked up to Jiraiya...pleading....

Jiraiya felt his heart broke when he saw Naruto crying. He brought his hands around the boy and pulled him closer, head burrowed against his chest. "You're not alone, Naruto-kun. You still have us and Konoha. We will never leave you..." Jiraiya murmured, still holding the sobbing shinobi in his arms.

'_After all the façade you've orchestrated earlier...you are still a kid...a kid who was exposed to the bitter world...alone...no matter how much you hide it or pretend that you're strong...you can never lie to yourself that you're weak...all this time...you still haven't recovered from the pains of your past, our past. I'm so mad that you let people abuse your youth...and for that...I even hate myself.'_

The wind blew across the violet plains...sending a wistful mood...

"I'll...I'll be strong..."

* * *

A/N: nahnah!!!!! It's my midterms for heaven's sake!!!!!!! Well...let me see...a new character appeared in this chap...that's Katsura. I will not elaborate on her because that's part of the future chaps. About **"the new world"** part, it refers to the new Konoha...you'll find that one out later too...so be patient with me ok? Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To CLICKE: hehehehehehehehe...I don't know if this crap is ok...you go tell them, ne?

Ok....about the OCs, it's just the way my story goes....  
and by the way...to those confused, they used HENGE no jutsu to transform into eagles...its quite a sight to see you men leaping from building to building across Japann, right? thanks!!!!

Please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!

Please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	10. So much for the peaceful approach

A/N: hi guys!!!!! How are you? Ok fine...I'm back again for another installment of Even After...I just finished my midterms and my head is in chaos right now...Hehehe...I was forced to read 200 pages of Phil. History...so you can say that I really had a nice week...ï 


	11. Requiem

A/N: hi guys!!! How are you? I'm feeling a little rejuvenated since my finals so I'm kinda interested in writing again!!! Yehey!!!! Ok back to the story: from the previous chapter, Naruto and Jiraiya are going against the Sound sister, Neon, Miki and Aki. Jiraiya gets into trouble with women again when he was matched up against Aki and her Kotodama while Naruto is struggling against the duet of Miki and Neon. Now...how will he win against the perfectly synced team of Neon and Miki? And how will Jiraiya overcome the temptations offered by Aki and her Kotodama? Wow!!! This is a one hell of a chappie so please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**IMPORTANT NOTE: THE RATINGS MAY GO UP IN THIS CHAPPIE SO READ WITH PRECAUTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Clicke: hey....please contact me in my yahoo account ok? I'm not using my Gmail account, ever! Hehehehehe!!!!!!! It's so hard when you're managing 6 email accounts!!!!!

Disclaimers: usual............ the fight scenes were similar to the fight between Uruha Oto and Hokage team in FOR, especially the battle between Aki and Jiraiya.

"" for Dialogs and '' for thoughts and SE

P.S. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!

**WEAPONS, MOVES, PEOPLE AND TERMS:**

**Idaten**- Miki, of the Uruha Oto, used the Idaten in her fight against Recca and Mikagami. The Idaten are two small green Elementals which, when placed on her boots, allows her to move like the wind.

**Rhapsody**- This attack has two kinds: Gravedigger and Lethal rain. Gravedigger makes the ground break by the use of waves while Lethal Rain is the trigger for the loose boulders to drop down the hole made by the previous attack.

**Yamabiko**- A mirror which reflects anything, including sound waves. Miki, of the Uruha Oto, uses it in conjunction with Neon's "Quartet" move, which uses the Fukyo Waon.

**Quartet **Neon, of the Uruha Oto, uses the Fukyo Waon in this attack. Quartet is the tag-team move using Miki's Yambiko. The attack is reflected off the mirror at a target.

**Kaze no Kekkai **is a force field made out of wind currents that acts as shield.

**Fujin Kamatachi** "Air Cutter." Like a blade of wind, it allowed Fuuko/Naruto to slice through things.

**Kazadama **"Wind Ball". This is an attack used by the Kaze no Kadama. Very powerful.

**Kaze no Toma **Central orb of fujin.

**Raiha **Owner of Raijin. He gave the Kaze no Toma to Fuuko as a reward.

**Recca **A flame master in FOR (the protagonist in the series)

**Kurei **Also a flame master in FOR (the main antagonist)

**Hebi **A snake

_

* * *

_

_Akita, Japan_

"Neechan, I'll take this old, perverted geezer on! Miki, you go with Neechan!" Aki told them as the battle commenced between the Shinobis of the Leaf against the Uruha Oto.

"I don't want to hurt you, little girl. Don't be so stubborn." Jiraiya said while chuckling like a maniac. "We'll see whose going to get hurt, oyajii." Aki told him. Neon and Miki started attacking Naruto side by side.

"It's unfair! It's two against one!" Naruto complained as he continued to dodge their attacks. "Life's like that Naruto-kun. You can't get all the good things in life! **Idaten**!!!!" Miki cried and moved in god-like speed.

"What the hell?!" Naruto sputtered when he lost rack of Miki's movement.

"Don't lose your concentration, boy! **QUARTET**!!!!!" Neon cried and released a blast of sound waves from her flute cut through the air and flew towards Naruto.

"Shit!" Naruto cursed and stepped out of the blast's path but Miki was right behind him.

"Yamabiko!" Miki cried and held a mirror which was attached to her wrist. The madogou reflected the blast and directed it to Naruto's back.

"ARGH!!!!!" Naruto cried when the blast hit his back, searing his backside with pain.

With a thud,****the blonde shinobi landed on the ground.

"NARUTO!!!" Jiraiya yelled trying****to come to Naruto's aid but Aki intercepted him.

"You're not going anywhere." Aki said with a voice full of malice. The madogou on her neck gleamed and placed Jiraiya in a trance.

"Ero-sennin!!!!" Naruto cried when he saw his former sensei fall into Kotodama's power.

"You're all alone now, Naruto-kun. What will you do?" Neon asked. She held her flute to her mouth and started playing a melody.

"You looked cute though, Naruto-kun. If you want, if you survive our attacks, you can be my boyfriend." Miki said while giggling. She held her idaten and mirrored the sound waves towards Naruto.

"Argh!!!!" Naruto cried.

"Poor, poor Naruto-kun." Neon taunted.

"C-can't let this h-happen." Naruto murmured as she staggered to stand up. He held his hands to form a seal.

"What are you going to do, Naruto-kun?" Miki taunted.

"**KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!!!!!**" Naruto cried and in a puff of smoke, twenty clones appeared from nowhere.

"Be careful Miki!" Neon cried as the clones started attacking the two of them. The real Naruto escaped from his battle and went towards Aki who was controlling Jiraiya's fantasies.

**_Aki's world:_**

"Where am I?" Jiraiya asked. 'God I'm feeling dizzy!' he added in his mind.

"Hi, oyajii. How are you feeling?" Someone spoke. Jiraiya turned to look behind him and saw Aki.

"Oh-ooh!" Jiraiya breathed as a gush of blood escaped his nose. They are inside a big room where Aki is sitting on a couch or something, naked, except for a hundred poisonous rattlesnakes wrapping themselves around her and a choker holding the Kotodama. Jiraiya stood back up to admire the view while giggling madly. "Hehehe, Icha Icha Paradise has a new character...hehehe".

"You'll soon run out of blood if you don't stop your bleeding." Aki said with a sly smile. She licked her lips while saliva escaped from Jiraiya mouth.

"So young, so fresh...ooh if I could only touch those twin peaks...." Jiraiya mumbled non-stop while staring at Aki like a starving dog.

"Oh so cute! Don't be near me..." Aki said, her eyes glinting in malice. Her voice somehow struck a chord in Jiraiya's head and he immediately crawled towards her.

**_Back to reality:_**

"BAKA ERO-SENIN!!!!!!!! She's just tricking you! Everything's an illusion!!!!" Naruto yelled, hoping his sensei would hear him. His bunshins are disappearing one by one as he tried to come to his sensei's aid.

Neon heard his voice.

"GOTCHA!!!!" Neon cried and released a blast of sound waves towards his back. 'No!' Naruto's sensed the powerful attack and turned to face his enemies.

"**KAZE NO KEKKAI**!" Naruto cried before the blast hit him.

"He's dead." Miki snorted as they waited for the smoke to clear away.

"He's too naïve to finish this mission. Everything he's done is futile—"Neon said but she was speechless when she saw Naruto surrounded by a force field. On his right hand glowed the Fujin.

"This can't be..." Neon murmured as the Kaze no Toma gleaned under the bright sun.

"Neechan, what's that big red ball in the middle of Fujin?" Miki asked nervously, slowly taking a step backward.

"This is Kaze no Toma, the central orb of Fujin." Naruto told them while gaining composure. He stood up and the rest of bunshins disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"That Raiha! He's a fool to give you the Kaze no Toma too!" Neon spat. 'Does this mean that Raijin does not have something to bind its powers?' she asked herself.

"Now that you saw fujin, I guess there's no reason not using it anymore." Naruto panted, wiping the blood off his chin. The wind around them blew stronger, as the orbs of fujin glowed bright- angry red.

"Don't let your guard down Miki. Fujin's power is at its peak especially when all the orbs are present!" Neon warned her sister as she held her arms to defend herself. Miki, on the other hand, had something else in her mind.

"Let's see if his fujin can match my god-like speed with Idaten!" Miki cried before lunging towards Naruto.

"NO!!!" Neon yelled to stop her sister but Miki was too fast.

Naruto held his fujin arm as the wind currents gathered around him.

"**Fujin Kamatachi!!!!!!!!!**" Naruto cried and released a large wind blade towards the speeding Miki.

"ITAI!!!!!!!!!!" Miki cried as the blade hit her and carried her with an unbelievable force. The wind blast blasted a couple of trees away together with Miki. "MIKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Neon cried when she helplessly watched her sister being blasted away.

"Don't...ever...under...estimate.... me!" Naruto panted while looking at Neon with full intensity.

**_Aki's world:_**

"What's that rumbling?" Jiraiya asked as they felt the earth shook. Aki sweat-dropped. She could not afford to lose him right now. He was so close to touching her pets.

"Don't mind that, oyajii. It's just a little earthquake. And to tell you honestly, I'm getting impatient. I thought you wanted to touch me and bring me to heaven?" Aki asked and her Kotodama gleamed once more. Jiraiya's eyes turned blank for a few seconds then he went back to drooling and nose bleeding as he continue to reach Aki's wide-opened thighs.

"That's a good boy. Come on....I'm itching to go to heaven..." Aki whispered to him which ignited his passion even more.

"Ooh I'm coming. Just wait a little bit more and my skillful fingers and tongue will send you to could-nine." Jiraiya panted. His hands were nearing Aki's knees.

"Come on. You're nearly at heaven's door." Aki teased him a little more by moving her thighs a little closer.

"No!" Jiraiya cried. Aki laughed out loud. "You're my dog now, oyajii." She told him while she spread her legs even farther apart. A rattlesnake slithered between her thighs, denying Jiraiya a very glorious view.

"Stupid hebi! Get out of there!" Jiraiya cried. The rattlesnakes around Aki became restless. There constant movement showed more of her flesh. Another gush of blood came out of Jiraiya's other nostril when the snake that was covering Aki's left breast moved to wrap itself around her neck.

"You're an angel!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"Haha!!! I'm ready to go to heaven!!!! Hurry!!!!" Aki taunted. Jiraiya reached the juncture of her thighs but could touch any of her flesh because of the snake between her thighs was blocking him from reaching his ultimate goal.

"But, how can I satisfy you if this bloody snake won't come off?" Jiraiya asked Aki. She looked menacingly at him.

"Call me Mistress you whimpering idiot!" Aki yelled at him and slapped his face.

"Y-yes, Mistress." Jiraiya giggled.

"I can't hear you." Aki mocked him.

"Yes Mistress! Kami-sama! Tell this bloody snake to be gone so I could devour your sweet, sweet flesh!" Jiraiya cried, pleading.

"Haha!!!!" Aki laughed. The snake made an eye contact with Jiraiya. "There's only one way to make the snake go away, oyajii." Aki told him while pushing her knees farther apart while leaning towards Jiraiya, with her breasts dangling.

"What is it, mistress?" Jiraiya asked her.

"Touch them." Aki whispered to his ear. Her Kotodama gleamed again and Jiraiya reached out in obedience. The snakes hissed at him but he did not stop. 'I've go to reach that bloody thing!' Jiraiya told himself.

"Go on." Aki urged him. Jiraiya finally have gotten hold of the snake at the center. The snake hissed in retaliation and buried its poisonous fangs deep into his skin. Jiraiya did not feel any pain. Four more rattlesnakes flew towards him and sunk their fangs into his flesh.

"Does it hurt like hell?" Aki asked and the Kotodama gleamed again.

"ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jiraiya cried. The pain was unbearable and blood came out of those snakebites. The five snakes slithered away from his writhing body and back to Aki who was, surprisingly, dressed up. "Y-you...." Jiraiya murmured. The pain shot through his entire system.

**_Back to reality:_**

"ARGH!!!!!!"

Naruto heard Jiraiya cried. He turned around a saw five pairs of snakebite-like wounds suddenly appeared on Jiraiya's body.

"NO!!!!! BAKA ERO-SENIN!!!!!!!!!!" Naruto cried and tried to run towards his comrade but Neon intercepted him.

"Miki's out cold. Now I think it's a fair fight, isn't it Naruto-kun." Neon said. She gripped her flute tighter until her knuckles turned white.

"Get out of my way, Neon! **Fujin Kamatachi!**" Naruto yelled and released another wind blade towards her but Neon deflected it with ease.

"This is where the real fight begins, Uzumaki Naruto." Neon said.

"And the one who gives up will die!!!" Naruto yelled and lunged towards the former member of Kurei' Elite Ten. Neon played a different tune and gathered some sort of an energy ball from the Fukyo Waon.

"Rhapsody first verse, it is the haunting melody that will carry you to your grave. Take this Uzumaki Naruto, **RHAPSODY FIRST VERSE,** **GRAVEDIGGER!!!!!!!!!**" Neon cried and directed the energy ball towards the ground. Naruto paused before...

"NANI?!" Naruto cried when there was some sort of an explosion underground and the earth broke apart.

'KABOOM!'

'THUD!' he fell into the whole which Neon made. Some boulders from the explosion where held up high by Neon's aura, hanging above Naruto.

"This will be your end, Uzumaki Naruto! Rhapsody second verse, the verse that will shun the voices of the fallen. Goodbye Naruto, you shouldn't have come here! **RHAPSODY SECOND VERSE,** **LETHAL RAIN!!!!!!!!!!**" Neon cried and a behemoth-sized boulder suddenly dropped from the sky, heading fast towards Naruto.

"I won't let this end like this." Naruto choked out as he raised his fujin arm towards the falling boulder.

"You better lend me your help now, cute fluffy stuffs! **KAZADAMA!!!**" Naruto cried. One small red orb from fujin rose and turned into a small fuzzy white creature. Naruto smiled weakly when it turned into a ball and rolled violently, gathering up wind currents and shot up against the fast-approaching boulder.

'KABOOM!'

**_Aki's world:_**

'I hope that blast came from Neechan.' Aki mused. She was watching Jiraiya writhe on the ground when she felt the earth shook again.

Jiraiya paused as the rumblings went on. He was gasping and panting hard. His body is starting to get numb now. 'That's probably from the snakebites...but I was so close to touching those ripe juicy...' He told himself. 'It's time that I finish this.' Aki told herself.

"Now, the poison must be in your system by this time. Do you feel the cold creeping up to your body now, oyajii?" Aki asked him. The gem on her neck gleamed again and Jiraiya felt a pang of cold ran though his body. Their environment also changed. It transformed from a cozy room to a snow-covered plain. Jiraiya began shivering from cold. He could hardly feel the tips of his fingers. He shifted to see what Aki was doing a he saw her, standing not far away from him, holding a white rose which is in fact, a sword in real life.

"You see this, oyajii?" Aki held the rose for him to see.

"Yeah...that's a rose. I'm not stupid." Jiraiya murmured. He heard Aki let out a hearty laugh.

"This, oyajii, will be offering to your grave. The cold is killing you, right?" Aki asked and the Kotodama gleamed again. With that, Jiraiya felt another onslaught of cold through his body.

"Bitch!" He spat.

"Now, now, no need for cursing oyajii. And of course, how can I forget! The pain is also killing you, right?" Aki added. With her words again, the pain that Jiraiya wasn't feeling for a while shot though his body again, without heed or mercy.

'Shit! I can't take this anymore!' Jiraiya complained silently.

"It's so sad that you'll die being cold and in pain...what a pity." Aki said and with that, Jiraiya felt cold and pain shot through him simultaneously.

A thought suddenly came to Jiraiya. ' Now wait a minute...how come I feel everything this bitch is saying and why does that gem on her neck kept on gleaming every time she tells me what to feel? This can't be natural...'

"Are you ready to die now, oyajii?" Aki asked him.

'I got to figure out how to get away from this illusion!' Jiraiya told himself.

_**Back to reality:**_

When the dust cleared off, Neon found herself lying against a tree, a few meters away from the whole.

"I...h-have...to...fi-finish...t-this fight." Neon staggered to stand up.

Naruto, on the other hand, was trying to move but he found out that a small boulder crashed on his right leg. "S-shit! This is bad!' Naruto murmured. He struggled to stand up. He was gasping for air when he was awkwardly on his feet with arms dangling to his side and one swollen left eye. He looked up and saw Neon looking limp above him.

"This is not over yet, Naruto-kun." Neon spat while clutching her side, which judging by her wince, it must've been a broken rib.

"Who told you that this fight if over?" Naruto asked. He held his shaking right arm and he levitated towards his opponent. He landed softly on the ground, on the opposite side of the whole. He saw Jiraiya writhing on the ground to not far them and Aki holding up a long sword.

"Only one will become the victor between us, Naruto. And I'm telling you, it's going to be me." Neon panted. The gem on her right chest, the Fukyo Waon, glowed green as Neon's aura grew stronger.

"I will not let it end this way." Naruto replied. He held up his right hand and started to brew his chakra to create a familiar ball. The wind blew violently across the plain, signaling that the end is near.

Miki opened her eyes and felt the strong wind swept over her. She realized that she was pinned under the big trunk of a tree, approximately 100 meters way from the battle scene.

"No. she's going to use it again!" she gasped worriedly.

**_Aki's world:_**

"You're going to die now, oyajii." Aki said while holding her sword in place.

"I will not let it end this way...I may be a pervert but I'm still one of the Legendary Three!" Jiraiya yelled and yanked his body to move.

"Too late! I'm going to send you to hell right now!!" Aki cried and jumped up. She raised her sword and stabbed forward, aiming towards Jiraiya's heart.

"I'M NOT GOING TO DIE IN A SHAMEFUL BATTLE!!!!!!!!" Jiraiya cried as he struggled to stand up, despite of the fact that Aki was fast approaching.

"DIE YOU PERVERTED OYAJII!!!!!!!" Aki cried as she drew her sword.

"HELL NO BITCH!!!!" Jiraiya cried and grabbed Aki's Kotodama. Aki's eyes widened.

"WHAT?! NO!!!" Aki screamed.

"It's time to end our little show!" Jiraiya cried and smashed the Kotodama in his fist.

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Aki cried as****Jiraiya sent her flying backwards.

**_Real world:_**

'THUD!'

Aki crashed hard against a tree. Jiraiya was panting hard while the remnants of Kotodama started to fall off his hands.

"AKI!!!!!!!!!!!"

"ERO-SENIN!!!!!!"

Jiraiya turned to the direction of the voices and saw Naruto and Neon facing each other from opposite sides of a big whole. His eyes widened when he saw Neon being engulfed by a large ball of energy while Naruto was molding a familiar chakra ball in his hands.

"Naruto learned how to mold a Rasengan without even tapping into his Kyuubi chakra?!" Jiraiya gasped as he watched the glowing ball in his student's hand continued to brew.

"You will now witness the power of Fukyo Waon. Recca Hanabishi was too foolish to keep me alive. I've done this before and I'm not going to fail now." Neon said, her voice sounded hoarse and eerie. She rose up slowly, making the forest shook under her power. The trees are down and are swept away by the powerful wind. The earth rumbled and the currents of the nearby rivers and streams became violent. Miki was limping her way back to the battle there came a flying tree trunk from nowhere.

"NEE-CHAAANNNN!!!!!!!!" Miki cried when the she swept away by the trunk.

"Be careful Naruto-kun. She's putting a tremendous amount of energy on that ball. If you make one terribly mistake, Akita might be wiped off the map of Japan." Jiraiya held unto him, trying to oppose the wind currents.

"Can you do something about the battle field?!" Naruto shouted. It was rather hard to communicate with all the rumblings around them.

"What?!" Jiraiya asked.

"I said, can you do something about the battle field?!" Naruto asked again. They saw Aki being engulfed by a kekkai ball.

"Wait a minute." Jiraiya yelled at him and struggled to form some handseals. Naruto, in turn, gather charka in his feet to anchor them to the ground. His left arm was linked to Jiraiya's while he was performing some handseals.

"Requiem is the final hymn of death before everything gets swallowed in an abyss. It will be you final hymn before I send every one of us into hell!" Neon cried. The earth started to crack under the tremendous power of Fukyo Waon.

"Neechan! Don't do it!!!!" Aki cried through the kekkai ball.

"Gomen nasai, Aki. I cannot let them take the Madougus. I promised Kurei and Recca that I will protect it with my life." Neon answered. A single tear rolled down her face.

"NEECHAN!!!!!" Aki screamed.

"Here I go! **GAMAKUCHI SHIBARI!!!!!" **Jiraiya cried and in a snap, the four of them reappeared inside a familiar fleshy inside of Igawama's esophagus.

Neon frantically looked around, bewildered of the sudden change in her environment.

"Where are we, Neechan?" Aki asked her sister. Her kekkai ball was stuck on the esophagus' wall.

"This must be one of your tricks, old man. But you cannot change your destiny! You and Naruto-kun will die here with me!!!!" Neon cried, intensifying her power.

"Argh!!! What next, Ero-sennin?!" Naruto yelled.

"Leave it to me Naruto-kun!" Jiraiya cried. He directed sharp strings of flesh towards Neon. They shot through the energy ball surrounding her, cut her flesh in contact.

"You're not going to win!" Neon cried.

"Let me use the Rasengan, Ero-sennin!" Naruto insisted.

"We can't kill her, baka! It's evident that she has the knowledge where the other Madougus are!" Jiraiya shot back. With this, some flesh formed into pikes underneath Neon while the attack of the fleshy strings continued.

"Just stay back, Naruto!' Jiraiya told him. Naruto stepped behind him and left everything to his former sensei's hands.

"This is the end!" Neon cried. 'Kurei, Recca, I've done my part as a hokage ninja. Thank you.' The though ran through her mind.

A sharp string suddenly penetrated from below and hit the Fukyo Waon on her chest.

"**_N_**-no." Neon gasped when she saw her precious gem broke into pieces.

"NEECHAN!!!!!" Aki cried when she saw the energy ball disappeared and her sister was falling towards the meat pikes.

"I'm done. Sa...yo...na...ra..." Neon murmured and shut her eyes close.

"**KAZE NO KEKAI!!!!**" Naruto released a wind blast which cradled Neon in mid-air, just centimeters away from the sharp pikes.

"You got to be kidding me!" Neon murmured when she realized that her body was still intact.

"Just like what Recca-sama did to her..." Aki murmured through the tears. Her sobs echoed throughout the flesh chamber as Naruto and Jiraiya slumped on the forest floor. The Ninjutsu Jiraiya used already disappeared.

"Hell! I'm not going through this again!" Jiraiya huffed.

"You bet." Naruto panted. He looked around and saw everything within the parameter of 100 meters was ruined. 'Yeah...you bet!' he added in his mind.

* * *

A/N: Done!!!! Hey!!! Another crap is up!!!! Joke!!!! I mean, I don't think you'll like this chappie. Sorry for the sudden rise of rating...don't worry, it'll go back to normal after this chapter. I'm so tired!!!!!!!!! Please review!!! Tell me if you still like reading my story so that I can continue ok? Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

Note: confusing shifts in battle scenes, right? Actually, I had a hard time writing this chapter because of the potential difficulty it the setting shift so please forgive me, ok? Thanks!!!!


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